As It's Written
by Old Beginning New Ending
Summary: There were many things wrong with this scenario: 1. Hiccup was in a dress. 2. He was trapped in a castle. 3. Jack was thrown in the mix. FrostCup/HiJack
1. Once Upon a Dream

So uh…whoops; I started writing again. You can thank **Valerie** **Kreiss** for her insisting on building up on my drabble and for her input in developing this story; Kat and Scorpion as well for their suggestions and reassurances.

Warnings: Language and odd plot ahead. Due to the latter, it's somewhat crack…ish (for now).

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a laptop and certain plot elements.

* * *

Prologue:

_Tales of Magic, Tales of Woe_

_Of Love and Longing and Letting Go;_

_Of Lessons Learned, Mayhap so?_

_By Twist and Turn in Time's Endless Flow_

_What It Brings, We Cannot Know_

* * *

There were many things wrong with this scenario:

1: Hiccup was in a dress. 2: He was trapped in a castle. 3: He could hear Toothless outside, rampaging like he was battling an overgrown eel. 4: He was in a dress (Hiccup, not Toothless). 5: Though he was quite certain they were extensions in the beginning…he was now starting to believe that the curly locks that slid down past his shoulders actually were his hair. Oh, and 6: HE WAS IN A DRESS. AND WEARING A TIARA.

Now that was fine and dandy…Hiccup could just take off the dress…except he really didn't feel like running through an unknown castle in nothing but his skivvies. He could just call Toothless and bust out of this strange pseudo-prison (really? The highest tower in the castle?). He absolutely could—

—if it weren't…for them.

"Well I just don't understand!" Flora huffed as she flipped through a rather large book. "How did I mix up the spells?"

"Uhm…can I just please—" Hiccup started weakly.

"Oh no, ya don't," chided Merryweather. "You are not going out there." The distinct cry of an enraged Night Fury sliced through the air to further the blue-clad fairy's point.

"But that's _my_ dragon!" the teen blurted.

"Oh, Aurora..." Fauna sighed, patting the teen's hand with evident sympathy. He shot her a strange look but it was wholly ignored. "It'll be all right, dear. We've done all we can to aid Prince Phillip."

Hiccup hastily took back his hand, all the while shaking his head in growing exasperation and mounting confusion as he backed away from the woman. "Okay, first off—my name is _Hiccup_," the teen pointedly clarified, crossing his arms and plopping down on the bed. "You have me confused with someone else."

"Yeah, and my name isn't Phillip," came a voice from the doorway. Hiccup took a casual glance at the newcomer and raised a brow at the sight. "It's Jack," the other boy elaborated only to cast his gaze at Hiccup and raise his brow in return.

An odd sort of silence followed as the two boys unnecessarily prolonged eye-contact: Hiccup to counter this "Jack's" unnerving stare and Jack because it wasn't everyday he found a boy trapped in both a castle and a dress.

(Jack had to admit that though the latter was slightly more baffling, he wasn't complaining.)

Within the ensuing silence, it crossed Hiccup's mind that the stillness was unnaturally abrupt; oh…well it seemed like the fighting had stopped. Well, the battle outside, anyways; there was still the whole issue of _I'm being held hostage and these ladies will not listen to reason._ But still, the quiet was nice. The quiet let his mind at least try to make sense out of all of this. Yes, quiet was good…

The symbolic gears in the brunet's head turned just a metaphorical quarter-inch before the epiphany came:_ Wait a second…_

"What have you done to Toothless?!" Why yes, Hiccup did storm over to this "Jack" while lifting his skirt so he wouldn't trip. So what? It certainly startled the other guy from the way he clutched a Sheppard's crook in defense.

Too bad after a second or so, he had the nerve to look amused. "Toothless? I didn't exactly meet any…unless you mean that dragon over there?" he indicated to an open window. After a fervent nod from Hiccup, this "Jack" person shrugged. "He'll be fine. The Sandman's Dreamdust'll wear off." He lowered the staff; ice blue eyes seemed to give the brunet a once-over before smirking. "So, are you like the princess of this castle or something?"

Hiccup fumed; just who does this guy think he is? However, before he could even open his mouth, Flora beat him to the punch: "Why yes she—"

"_He_," Hiccup venomously supplied.

"—is!" And the pink lady with the mosquito-wings had the nerve to clasp her hands in joy like seeing the two of them within clobbering-distance of each other was the most romantic thing she had ever seen.

Hiccup turned to Jack with a tired expression. "Please…_please_ tell me you're not delusional too."

The boy with the frost-colored hair just laughed. "Nah, I'm perfectly sane. I'm pretty sure we're both in the same boat anyways."

The brunet let out a sigh of relief. "Good." It was always good to commiserate.

And then there was an arm that snaked around his waist, and Hiccup right then would rather face a Monstrous Nightmare gone berserk—head-on—than turn to that obnoxious face as Jack said, "But you know, for a boy, you look damn good in a dress."

It was such a blessing to have a dragon as a best friend…especially a dragon with impeccable timing and one that knew how to deal with frosty-haired perverts and troublesome fairies. Preferably with a plasma blast fired as a warning shot right through the window.

"Toothless!" Relief washed over the brunet as the familiar, scaly face of his best friend peeked through the stony opening. Toxic green eyes looked just as reassured as he was…if not a little bemused. Hiccup scoffed, picking up the heavy dress and racing to him as the fairies attempted to deal with the flames ravenously devouring the precious silks on the bedding. "Yeah it's me, bud," he assured, grateful that Toothless found him; Toothless was thankful too. It took a lot of rooftop-hopping to reach his little human.

Jack gulped, not quite as ecstatic to see the Night Fury currently glowering at him from over Hiccup's shoulder. "Haha…I guess the sand wore off, huh?"

"Thankfully," Hiccup murmured as he crawled onto the windowpane.

"Aurora! Please stop!" one of the fairies cried; Hiccup really didn't care to turn around to see which one.

He sighed; why didn't these people just listen? "For the last time, I'm not—"

"You _must_ be Princess Aurora."

That at least got his attention; well, the way she said it more than anything like he didn't have a say in the matter. Like none of them did. The Viking hesitantly turned to Flora, unsure of what to make of the grave look and tone the woman employed. "If you want this curse to be lifted, you are."

"Curse…what…" Hiccup frowned, signing to Toothless to climb inside despite Jack's obvious objection. Finally, _finally_ they were getting somewhere. "You mean all of _this_," he gestured to his entirety, "was from a curse?" And it sort of made sense after all—the lack of logic behind all of this was definitely attributable to curses and their like.

"And you're not the only ones affected by it as well." The green fairy stepped forward, joining the red; the air shifted rapidly about them, an almost tense emotion permeating the atmosphere.

Merryweather's eyes shifted about in suspicion. "There's some strange magic involved in this…" she murmured enigmatically. She turned to the others with a solemn confirmation. "I can feel it."

Flora nodded. "It is very strange…now that I think about it, I don't think my magic had anything to do with this at all…" She frowned and by now, Hiccup was growing more and more worried by the second. "Someone else is interfering."

The words echoed ominously in the room, and not for the first time since he awoke in the tower to the three women clustered around him, Hiccup felt dread creep into his skin, settling there like a winter's chill. Who could have done this? How had they taken any recollection of where he was and what he was doing before any of this? And more importantly…why was he stolen away in the first place?

Hiccup took a look at Toothless, grateful that he at least had his best friend by his side…his best friend that was currently glaring quite impassively at the ice-haired boy. That raised another question:

Why was Jack thrown in the mix?

"Who could it be?" one of them asked.

"I'm not sure…I sense no trace of Maleficent in this so this can't be her doing…" The three women murmured amongst themselves and as nice as it was to have the very same dragon he ended up battling to save the "princess" from the same tower, Jack was pretty sure that "Toothless" hadn't forgotten how he nearly shot him in the face with a blast of ice from his staff. Plus, as _fun_ as this little adventure had been thus far, he really needed to get back home.

"Wait, wait…" Jack interrupted, "so we're cursed." At the trio of nodding heads for clarification, he breathed a sigh. Well at least they knew what they were dealing with. "Okay, so how do we break it?"

"And what were the terms?" Hiccup added, running a nervous hand through Toothless's scales; the dragon crooned soothingly.

"As a child, the princess was cursed by a witch," Flora began.

"Maleficent," the blue fairy illuminated.

The red fairy started again after a warning-look to the plump lady. "Right…Maleficent cursed the child to die upon her sixteenth year." Hiccup paled; oh great…and if that's wasn't enough, Flora elucidated: "That's today."

"I'm gonna _die_?" the brunet panicked. He only felt slightly embarrassed at the looks he received. "I _might_ die?" Hiccup amended.

Flora shook her head. "No dear…Merryweather softened the curse and made it so instead of death, you shall merely fall into enchanted slumber, the only means of awakening you by—"

"True love's kiss," the aforementioned fairy piped. Flora crossed her arms but allowed for the blue fairy to continue. "When you were taken by Maleficent, you pricked your finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, invoking the curse. Only a kiss from your true love will break it and set things right."

"Odd terms for a curse…" Jack muttered to the brunet.

"Shush," Hiccup muttered, still thinking the information over. But really, it was odd and not just the incredulous tale; the fairies were speaking as though the events already happened and now that Hiccup thought about it a bit more, they were staring at him and Jack as…though…they…

Once again, the gears in Hiccup's head began turning. It didn't take very long for the revelation to rudely initiate panic and flood the brunet's senses. "BUT I'M AWAKE!" he blurted, red-faced and hastily shuffling away from Jack; oh he knew where this was going. "I-I mean, I shouldn't have to—right?" He gazed imploringly at each fairy; his hopes were swallowed under waves of mortification as all three women shook their heads.

_"Do not deviate from the storyline,_" Flora replied with a wry grin.

Merryweather nodded sagely. "_You must play your part, line by line_."

"_A kiss, after all, is a paltry fine_," Fauna added with a small laugh. "Don't you agree?"

"A-a…a kiss…" Hiccup started, still backing away from the possibly (very likely) deluded trio. "From…Princess Aurora's true love?"

Fauna smiled. "Yes, dear."

Of course; of course… He sent a wary look at Jack and jabbed a thumb in his direction. "And as luck would have it…he would be that guy, right?"

"Prince Phillip, yes," Flora nodded.

Hiccup grimaced and ignored the indignant look on the other boy's face at his reaction. "But we've only just met…" he croaked.

"But you've met before!" Merryweather insisted.

"_Really_?" Hiccup knew things were getting bad from the way both he and Jack expressed their skepticism in unison.

"Yes!" Flora declared. "Why, you've met once upon a dream!"

Hiccup deadpanned. "Nightmare," he corrected. "This…is a nightmare."

The Ice Spirit swallowed a snicker; some sense of humor this guy had. "Aw, c'mon. Any more of that and you'll hurt my feelings." Hiccup doubted that by the sly grin on Jack's face. He doubted that very much. Still he felt a little better as the older teen whispered hastily, "_Just play along, I guess_." Yes, he felt a little better that at least he wasn't the only one going through this …though that all pretty much fell away as Jack had him by the waist again, hand under Hiccup's chin to tilt his face towards that obnoxious smirk. Hiccup also felt slightly horrified (among other things) as Jack leaned in closer, the next words to come out of said obnoxious smirk as: "So, how do we do this? Do I just—"

"Wha—_no_!" Merrryweather cried out with an angry jab of her finger. "Don' ya have any tact at all? You're a prince!"

"Oh _right_…" Jack enunciated with an eye-roll. Wasn't a Prince supposed to come off as smooth, suave, or something like that to his damsel? 'You must play your part' she said...sheesh. They really picked the wrong guy for this gig. Oh well; at least he had a half-decent partner (though he'd gladly keep that latter comment to himself). He shrugged to an appalled Hiccup. "So…do you like, need to be wooed or something?" Really, he just wanted to get home.

"Please don't," the brunet replied dryly, extracting the offending arm from his waist.

Fauna thankfully shook her head with a faint smile. "Oh no, you can both just go ahead and kiss—"

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief; for a second there, he thought he'd actually have to be romanced or something. "Oh thank the gods—"

"—right there over on the bed," the green fairy gestured with a happy flick of her wand.

"_WHAT_." Oh good; at least Jack joined in with that chorus.

Said frosty-haired boy shot them a doubtful look. "I think we have very differing perspectives on what it means to be…'princely'."

.

Hiccup would later lament as to how it all came to this: how he ended up being lowered onto the silky sheets of the bed, the finest fabrics cushioning his back doing absolutely nothing to ease the utter discomfiture of the entire situation. But for now, he laid there, hands resting on his chest, fingers interlocked, curls (yes, they actually were his hair…) splayed out against the satiny pillow beneath his head…

Looking anything but a dainty princess fast asleep.

Toothless nudged a lock of hair with his snout, sniffing it for inspection from the bedside. "Toothless, quit it," Hiccup murmured, still very confused and still very unwilling to participate. Still, like in most scenarios, it's not like he ever had a real choice in the matter. The brunet gulped, hands shaking, cheeks flushed red, and face contorted in a grimace. "Now, I-I just close my eyes? A-and…"

Hiccup nearly jumped at the first dip of the bed-space beside him. He really hoped it was Toothless playing with his hair again. "You're acting very nervous about this." Alas, his hopes were dashed; it seemed as though Jack had overcome his initial wariness of his dragon. And besides, who could blame Hiccup? He was just told to pretend to be comatose while some random guy takes advantage of the situation. "Not that I'm complaining or anything." What? It was fun seeing the caustic kid squirm.

Hiccup visibly scowled, eliciting another chuckle from the older boy. Jack wouldn't dare say it out loud; after all, the boy's dragon was right next to him, practically breathing down his neck—but Hiccup didn't make for a bad sight. Just the opposite. But even he wouldn't admit that to himself. Honestly, like Hiccup said: they've just met.

"I don't make it a habit to kiss people I've just met," The Viking scoffed, his eyes reluctantly falling shut.

"It could be worse." Hiccup could practically hear the grin in the other's voice. "We could be strangers." Hiccup could pretend all he wanted, but Jack knew that these little exchanges were making the brunet ease up just a little bit...probably because the he could at least verbally retaliate against their situation.

"Haha, very funny," he muttered. "Knowing each other's names and supposedly meeting 'once upon a dream' doesn't exactly make us friends." Though not even his friends ever bantered with him like this.

Jack snickered. "No, it apparently makes us lovers." Was that a smile on Hiccup's face? Well, he wasn't the Guardian of Fun for nothing.

"Gods," the brunet pleaded, "take me now…"

"Save that for your true love, princess."

Blood could not rush fast enough to his face. "I—" Really. Hiccup would rather not bother to even dignify that with a proper response. "Oh just get on with it…" Hiccup didn't consider himself at all to be a violent guy, but oh what he wouldn't give to signal for Toothless to attack. With a plasma blast. Preferably to Jack's face.

"As you wish, fair lady." Or you know…clobber him with his detachable prosthetic. But then it was quiet for a second, with only the faint shuffling of cloth settling into the air and suddenly a faint warmth of another's presence hovered over Hiccup's nervous form. The brunet took a shaky breath and held it—waiting for the inevitable to come. And then those damn words from that irritable voice started up again. "Relax, will ya? It's just a kiss; it doesn't have to mean anything."

And Hiccup would really like to disagree on that—he would because honestly, a kiss is something intimate, wasn't it? It's a simple action, a simple touch, but that cannot be said for the emotion behind it; the emotion that breathes passion and affection to the mere brush of two lips in a chaste embrace, that fortifies the tenderness and adoration in the feverish crash of frenzied mouths. Because of that, a kiss wasn't something simple at all, not in any real sense outside of its physical definition. A kiss is something of a secret—passed like a whisper, only between lovers, the true message only understood through the cherished tones of love. A kiss was powerful in its addictive poisons, the heady venom of devotion sweetened by the nectar of ardor. A kiss was—

A kiss was something _magical_. That's why only a kiss could have awakened the princess, right?

And Hiccup was quite ready to say that. He really was. His mouth was open, words ready to spring out of his throat for the cheeky boy to at least mull over. But really, he was only _slightly_ annoyed at Jack for choosing that exact time to swoop down and capture his lips (to effectively shut him up before he had the chance to retort). He was also just slightly irritated at the collective gasps and swooning of what sounded like three perving old ladies.

And maybe, just maybe, Hiccup's lack of outrage in all this had a little something to do with how his heart did a miniature somersault as their mouths met in a kiss.

They kissed just like that, Jack's mouth against his parted lips, a strangled noise fleeing Hiccup's throat only to be intercepted by another faint chuckle from the other boy, his lips pressing and softly moving against Hiccup's own and it was almost something surreal—_tender_, more than any the brunet had experienced before. And suddenly Hiccup remembered to breathe and it was definitely nicer now that he wasn't suffocating against the initial shock, and _pleasant_ as he hesitantly reciprocated the experimental feel of Jack's mouth against his. There was a faint fluttery sensation in his stomach that he would later deny ever existed in that small moment in time, but for now, his heartbeat refused to keep proper time though the knots in his stomach were slowly coming undone and for a little while, he allowed himself to revel in this nameless feeling.

Yes, that was a sort of nice feeling after all…though in reality, it might've not been worth it due to the terrifying sensation afterwards: of falling and fading all at once, the kiss a lingering phantom's touch, the color before his eyes and the sounds of a climactic crash dissipating next before the rest of everything followed—a blank page, a clean slate, heralded by an ominous and blinding white in wait for a tale to be etched on its skin.

.

His head hurt; that was the first thing he noticed.

The second thing Hiccup noticed was that he was in a bed. Not his bed, obviously. This was much softer. So perhaps the spell didn't work? Hiccup nearly groaned. Nearly. He didn't want to attract any attention just yet. _'Great…I smooched a total stranger for nothing…'_

(He thoroughly ignored the slight tingling in his lips at the memory and the fact that he was sure his face was heating up again.)

After a moment or so of wallowing through indecision, the brunet finally opted for the only choice he actually possessed: move forward. And for that, he needed to open his eyes and hopefully figure something out to get him out of this place…

Lo and behold, after blearily blinking the sleep away, he found himself out of "that" place…

and into "this" one. Hiccup bit his lip and braved a peek once more around the room. It was cramped and under-furnished—perhaps a servant's quarters judging by the quaint and meager state of his surroundings, kept like a little prison and not at all in the same grandeur as the highest tower in a castle. Though one sight definitely caught his attention.

This time, Hiccup did groan. Loudly.

But Hiccup barely registered the noise of utter despair that clawed its way out of his mouth. In fact, he didn't even notice the mob of animals that stared at him in worry, even the little mouse that seemed to squeak in a comprehensible tongue after a moment or two of his unresponsiveness.

Because right there on a bureau…was yet another dress.

God damnit.

In retrospect, maybe bemoaning his fate wasn't such a good idea, at least not so verbally, judging by the irate screeching that followed. "Cinderella! _Cinderella_!"

* * *

Huh…so like the riddle there? Haha, it's fairly obvious, isn't it?

For those who have seen the first part of the chapter before, yes, this story is basically the continuation of my drabble _Disney Magic_ from _Better Late than Never_; it has been slightly modified (mostly for errors).

I exaggerated Hiccup's views on kisses; he seemed pretty okay (at least by his teasing) with the possibility of Astrid being forced to kiss Snotlout, after all. And yeah, Jack seems a little eager doesn't he? And that conflicts with some parts of his character that I've written? Well...I'll explain why that is in the next chapter.

So uhm…I'm definitely rusty, but I hope you all enjoyed that?

-slips back into hibernation-


	2. A Wish Your Heart Makes

Special thanks to **Valerie Kreiss** for editing and helping this story move along. And a happy New Year to all!

I altered some things, especially with the timing, but it mostly abides by the Disney script.

Note: Brunet stepsister = Drizella. Redhead stepsister = Anastasia. Stepmother = Lady Tremaine.

* * *

It was a slow descent into madness; the wailing, the echoes of precious seconds wasted with each angry _BONG_ sounding from the distance…and the incessant chirps and squeaks that seemed to erupt from each corner and through every crack in the room. It was dizzying, hectic, and it felt like Hiccup's brain was being pulled in every direction by mysterious forces in dire need to have its say—guidance, condolence, or a warning, he did not know.

"_Cinderella! CINDERELLA_!" Oh no…the voices were getting angrier…

But, as with most things, Hiccup opted for the best choice he could afford at that moment: "Ugh…I knew I shouldn't have trusted them…" Moan and grumble for a bit before he pushed himself out of bed to start this little adventure. The brunet sighed at the sight of his sleeping attire and duly noted that he would just have to get used to that breezy feeling around his legs. But then the strangest little sight grabbed his attention—of a mouse donned in tiny shoes, jacket, and hat and wearing a very excited expression aimed right at him. "…Y-yes?"

"Cinderelly!" Jaq squeaked. "New mouse in the house. Brand new. Never saw before. Visitor, visitor!"

He really should have expected that. "…The mouse talks." Hiccup blinked and eyed the room around him; a whole village of little mice in dresses and hats, in shoes and coats, eyed him with affectionate worry. Oh look…there were birds too. "I-I think I need to lie down…" he rasped, the room starting to spin a bit as his hands sought the bed.

"_Cinderella_!"

"No time, Cinderelly!" And then little birds were tugging Hiccup by the wrist of his nightgown and directing him towards the folding screen as the tiny mouse animatedly chattered on. "Gotta get him out! Trap! Trap!"

"He's in a trap?" Hair disheveled and nightgown discarded, Hiccup peeked out of the screen and yelped as the little bluebirds so kindly dumped cold water over his head. Oh well…beats Toothless grooming him with his fish-breath tongue. "W-w-where?" he chattered, wiping the wet bangs over his eyes.

The little mouse only motioned for him to get going, so with a sigh, Hiccup grabbed the sponge with a grateful, but rather forced, grin from the little birds and washed himself as the tiny pitter-patter of feet and a melody of chirps and squeaks filled the tiny attic room. To keep his sanity in check, he refused to hum to the melody of some random and seemingly rehearsed song. Hiccup shook his head dolefully, still trying to calm the internal panic of Toothless's unknown whereabouts. Maybe once he found his best friend, they could just go with his original plan and get out of here and hopefully get to Berk within a few days' time.

Upon his exit from the protection of the screen, Hiccup groaned at the sight that awaited him: oh yes, the raggedy little dress and apron, happily being tended to by the friendly, resident animals. With a resigned sigh (and the fact that he was just a little bit trepid about scouring an unfamiliar female's room for clothes), he put on the dress.

"Dress dress for him too!" piped a little voice from below. Unsurprisingly, it was the same little mouse from before.

Hiccup supposed that clothing this newcomer was some sort of initiation to their little village. "Whe—oh…huh…" He watched with fascination as the little team of mice collaborated in opening the bureau to reveal an assortment of mice-sized garments. "…So…Cinderella sews clothes for mice?" he mused as he plucked a pair of shoes, a hat, and a tiny shirt from the drawer.

"Cinderelly! Hurry!" Jaq urged; who knows when the screaming stepsisters would start up again?

And so with that, Hiccup trailed after the lead mouse down a series of creaky stairs, still a bit dazed and without any real idea what was going on.

The mouse turned to him with a strange look and eyed his prosthetic. "Cinderelly, what happen?"

"It was amputated after a dragon burned most of it off," the teen grunted. Jaq seemed like he wanted to ask more but the question was put on hold as they caught sight of an iron cage resting on the floor, and within it, a large mouse cowering in one corner of its prison.

Hiccup could sympathize with that situation. "Oh…poor guy's scared to death." He gingerly picked up the cage in an attempt not to rattle the little creature inside it too much. He lifted the latch in a show of peace. He looked at the creature with uncertainty for a moment. "Do you uh…have a name?" He wasn't completely sure if _all_ mice talked…but it was better to be safe than sorry, especially since these little animals were all the help he could afford at the moment.

After a few seconds of silence and a curious look from the unnamed mouse, Hiccup sighed; he was never very good at this. "I guess not, hm? Well, I can't let you scurry free without one." The mouse looked to be quite excited to receive a name, so Hiccup guessed he'd have to make it good. With a thoughtful sound, Hiccup finally came to a decision: "…what about Magnus?" The teen almost laughed as the hopeful look on the creature's face died. "Or Gus for short?" He grinned as Gus seemed to like that alternative. He handed the clothing to Gus, noting that perhaps he should have taken a larger shirt for the robust rodent.

"_Cinderella_!"

The teen groaned. "I'm coming!" Hiccup had to admit, he was at least grateful that whoever those voices belonged to did nothing more than annoy him with every passing call of his "name." Still, he was at a disadvantage here: he was stuck in an unknown land and he seriously doubted that anyone else would believe him to be anyone other than this "Cinderella" person they kept calling, judging from how the animals were acting. But maybe he could speak with them…maybe he'd find someone else that could help…'_Someone other than little old ladies with mosquito wings…'_ So maybe it would be best to find someone human as quickly as possible. So he turned to his rodent friends with an air of uncertainty. "Uhm…maybe you should take care of him? While I take care of…_that_," he motioned to the general direction of the shrill echoes.

"Zuk-zuk Cinderelly, zuk-zuk." The little mouse seemed to be pleased with that decision and crawled inside the cage to greet the newcomer. "Now, now, now, look little guy." Jaq dodged an impulsive attack from the other mouse, admiringly unalarmed by the assault. "Take it easy! Nothin' to worry about! We like you. Cinderelly like you too. She's nice, very nice." Hiccup grimaced; well at least Gus seemed to calm down as Jaq nodded brightly. "That's better. Come on, now zuk, zuk, zuk," Jaq urged as they both emerged from the cage.

Well now that was done, that just left Hiccup with a couple of more things: "Just…what am I supposed to do…exactly?" Hiccup frowned, letting the thoughts escape his mouth. How was he supposed to go about this? He had no idea if the people downstairs would recognize him as Cinderella or himself. If the former, would they believe what he had to say? If the latter…how would they react to a strange boy in their home, dressed as a servant?

Besides, it wasn't only that. There was an anxiety present, building up from every cry of _Cinderella, Cinderella! _The words swam bitterly with a throbbing ache in his head and resonated uncomfortably in his heart. He hadn't met the owners of those voices…but something warned him against seeing them. It wasn't instinct, but something learned, something that was certain, marrow-deep in his bones. He didn't like it and if dragon-training had taught him anything, it was to always go with what he knew was right.

Jaq paused, eyeing the teen with concern. "Cinderelly don't feel good?" At that, a burst of laughter erupted from the brunet along with a sad little nod; no, he certainly _did not_ feel good. With a noise of affirmation, the mouse peeped, "Then Jaq help!"

The tiny mouse gave a determined grin and Hiccup couldn't help but feel like he had aided him before. At that thought, Hiccup scoffed. '_Yeah, maybe "once upon a dream."'_ But at this point, Hiccup would take all the help he could get.

For Jaq, it wasn't very hard to remember Cinderella's routine: "Downstairs, feed friends!—then mean sisters and stepmother." Oh…so those were the piercing screeches his ears were tormented by all morning? At that moment, Hiccup was ever-grateful his dad never remarried. From the look of distaste on the little rodent's face at the mention of them, that was enough to warrant a silent thanks. "But first—wake Lucifee," the mouse instructed with a foreboding tone.

"Uh…okay I guess…" Hiccup wasn't exactly sure what a "Lucifee" was, but he'd follow the mouse—as absurd as it was—down the stairs to the first line of chores.

It was definitely a grand house, the walls lined with intricate carvings and an air of elegance unseen by the Viking before. But each step wrought more trepidation and less awe than the last. Though refined and ornate, the halls resonated with only his footsteps; it was unnervingly empty. The massive French chateau exuded a hostile grace, cold and gilded with moral decay rotting behind the large doors towering before him. Even the sunlight spilling from the windows only casts a chilling light against the apprehensive ambiance.

It was eerily quiet but for that, Hiccup was grateful. "Sounds like they've given up for now…" As indicated by the little mouse, the teen pushed the door open and marveled at the luxurious room; hard to believe it all belonged to one spoilt cat lounging on a throw pillow. Huh. No wonder the mice hid.

"Uh…Lucifee?" he called. The feline seemed to glare at the intruding voice and light pooling from the doorway. He yawned and let out a strange purr, one of annoyance and correction that one of pleasure. "Lucifee?" Hiccup tried again, this time a little suspicious of the mouse's pronunciation. Again, the cat gave a low purr, almost a guttural growl. Hiccup got the hint. "Oh…Lucif_er_…odd name for a cat." The name sounded quite familiar to Hiccup and not in a good way; in fact, he shuddered.* "Hey, Lucifer, c'mon. Breakfast."

Seemingly satisfied the teen finally got his name right, the cat then proceeded to ignore him.

The brunet huffed. "Rude cat." He had to deal with a stubborn Toothless before, so this wasn't an unfamiliar sight. He just needed to play it right. The teen turned, appearing to leave. "Well I guess if you don't want to get fed." From the corner of his eye, he caught the cat's ears perking, a veil of confusion falling on its pudgy face. "It's not my problem, I mean, who am_ I_ to disregard _your_ wishes—After all, it's not like you're _starving_ or anything—" Hiccup bit back a snicker as a large ball of fur scampered past his legs and out the door. "Thought so."

With that, the pair made their trek downstairs, which was about as awkward as anyone can imagine. Still, it helped just a bit that Hiccup had a thousand other worries to occupy his mind. For starters where did Jaq and Gus run off to? Not that Hiccup could blame them, of course. At least Jaq was kind enough to supply his knowledge as to where to find the food and feed for the estate's inhabitants. All Hiccup had to do was keep heading down to the ground floor of the house. From there, all Hiccup had to do was follow his nose to the room that smelled distinctly of a cooking meal and livestock. That, and it also helped to follow the impatient cat from time to time.

Upon reaching the foot of the stairs he had been descending upon Lucifer's unintended guidance, Hiccup nearly plopped down to the ground in relief.

"_Toothless_!" Okay, so he plopped down right next to his best friend. The dragon bleated softly, roused from slumber by the gentle hands stroking his face. Hiccup cradled the dragon's head affectionately, breathing a sigh of relief. He was just glad his best friend was okay. "Toothless, bud it's you! Oh, Toothless…" Hiccup's reassured smile froze painfully; well _mostly _okay. "Bud? Why're you so _small_?"

In retrospect, that should have been one of the first things Hiccup had to have noticed. The Night Fury sent him a questioning look before he lifted his wings and examined himself; after a few moments of befuddlement and distress, Toothless unhappily determined his size to be that of a growing hatchling—around the size of an adult dog. Not only that, but the riding gear was nowhere on his body and even if they did locate the saddle and artificial tailfin, there was no way he could support Hiccup in flight.

As with all best friends, Hiccup was on that very same train of thought. _'Great…that means we can't just fly out of here…'_ It was a bit disappointing in truth, but it all seemed so deliberate. Toothless as a means of escape would have been an easy fix to this mess, so that was obviously out of the question. In addition to this, Hiccup can't help but feel as though the words the fairies had spoken held some truth in them:

'_Do not deviate from the storyline'_ the red fairy had said. There was an ounce of eeriness in her voice within his mind's memory. Something behind the elderly admonition. Something beyond her control; beyond his control. Someone stopping him.

_Someone interfering. _

"Looks like someone wants you out of the big picture…" Hiccup ran his fingers over jet-black scales, calming the frazzled dragon; at least whoever or whatever this person was, they didn't want Toothless out completely. No, whatever was doing this made their message pretty clear: Toothless couldn't help him here.

A loud mewl overpowered by a draconic roar pulled the teen from his musings just in time to keep his best friend from acquiring a taste for felines. With quick, panicky movements, Hiccup had his arms locked around Toothless's scaly head; the teen soothed the enraged dragon with his own pacifying and gentle croons while the shaken feline scrambled away. "Toothless—_no_. No, bud. Lucifer's just a cat."

The Night Fury snorted but relaxed with an angry glare towards the quivering ball of fur by the table. Hiccup sighed. "And as…catty as he is, I don't want you getting in trouble for this." Toothless gave him a dubious look, but bunted his best friend gently. Hiccup needed to keep Toothless out of harm's way. If that meant Hiccup had to do this on his own, then that was fine. So long as nothing else happened to his best friend.

As if sickened by the display, the cat meowed and appeared to indicate to an empty dish. The teen gave one last stroke to the warm scales before getting up. "All right, all right…you know, I have a bad feeling about you." The cat shot him a grin (well, as much as any cat _can_ grin) that didn't fool anyone. '_If Toothless doesn't trust him, then I shouldn't either.'_

He poured the cat some cream into its personal dish while Hiccup looked about for some grains. The bored, slit pupils that trailed his every move did not escape him and left Hiccup feeling more than just a little unnerved as he scoured the kitchen for food.

It didn't take long to find the feed and even a smoked fish for Toothless; Hiccup sighed and eyed Lucifer with a mistrusting grimace. "All right…now you—" Lucifer returned his look with a lazy glance. "Stay. While I feed everyone else."

Well, at least this part was familiar; he called out to the animals and wasn't at all surprised how they crowded around him as he threw a generous helping of feed to the chickens and hand-fed the horse. All the animals returned their gratitude with a welcoming grin or a happy cry as though graced with the presence of a dear old friend; they clucked and clustered around Hiccup in happy chaos and once more, the dizzying sensation of surreality struck his very core.

The teen threw down the rest of the feed, being careful to give a few extra helpings to the newcomer mouse before the chickens gobbled them up. A heavy sigh departed from his lips as he glared at the beaming sun. "Augh…I can't believe I'm still stuck…well, _here_. Wherever 'here' is…" Everything was familiar and alien all at once and Hiccup didn't know what to make of that. He frowned. "Tch…I've been demoted too."

Wherever he was—_whoever _he was, she was certainly no princess. Jaq, as the little mouse dubbed himself, alluded to the shrieking voices as belonging to his _stepsisters_. And yet here he was—a servant in the house Cinderella belonged to. Wherever this place was, it was no home to the woman.

And it was strange, now that the thought had come to his attention– that these feelings ran so strongly through his veins. In the last place, he had no recollection of any of Princess Aurora's thoughts, only that small pull of interest to her fated Prince. Even then, it was hardly anything—a tiny stutter, a stumble in his heartbeat in that travesty of a kiss. Hiccup felt his eye twitch from that traitorous slip in his thoughts.

It was from surprise. That was all. Still, those assertions didn't fight the heat that colored his cheeks; Hiccup huffed, feeling the warmth escape with the morning winds, but he knew his face was still stained a light pink. It was then that a wayward thought settled into his mind like an annoying speck of dust that couldn't be removed after thorough cleaning: Where was Jack now?

But Hiccup couldn't find it in himself to be too bothered by it; doing so would be too exhausting. Besides, some help the other boy was. Or at least, Hiccup was well convinced of that.

There was a half-hearted shrug before Hiccup dusted his hands off with the worn apron. "Well, wherever he is, it can't get worse…or any stranger than where I am right now." There was a persistent chime of bells followed by a furious screech and Hiccup discarded that train of thought altogether.

.

Pallets of spring painted across the horizon, a rosy visage of nature in its serene beauty. The pinks of sunrise kissed the infinite blue of the skies while the mountaintops and clouds mingled with courteous grace. Blossoms and blooms dotted the fields like stars and only the rumble of horse-hooves and carriage wheels disturbed the peace of the morning.

Such a shame about the storm clouds in Jack's brain, keeping him from such a pretty view.

The servant cleared his throat, unsure of what to make of that pensive look that struck across the Prince's features for the umpteenth time that hour. "Your Highness?"

Jack blinked, taking a second or two to register that the man was referring to him. "Yeah?"

"You've been acting…a bit out of sorts today, sir," the man informed expectantly.

Jack merely shrugged without offering much of an explanation. "Have I? Sorry, didn't notice," he murmured dismissively. Then again, certain thoughts have been preoccupying Jack's mind—

Like how he ended up in fairy tale land all over again. Jack sighed noisily, startling the footman as he leaned back against his seat in the carriage. '_Figures. Never trust little old ladies again.' _He tried to escape, but the servants were relentless in urging that he return home quickly. He called to the winds but only a faint breeze replied; likewise, he found himself near-powerless, as though winter itself had melted within him. After an hour or three of hide-and-seek with the stuffy gentlemen, something those little fairies told him echoed in his mind. So if that was the only clue he had, the only guideline that was given, he guessed there really was no other choice. That is to say, of course, that he didn't _try_ to find his own way out…

But really, he _needed_ to get back home. And not home to wherever these goons were taking him, but _home _to Burgess, to his lake. Winter was right around the corner (although by the looks of it, the same couldn't be said for wherever he was); _his_ season was coming and despite what the Easter Kangaroo might say, he did take his job seriously.

Well…now. Ever since he became a Guardian at least. And he was _not_ going to miss out on the opportunity to give children fun during his season. He was a Guardian now and that was his job and his gift to children everywhere.

Against himself, a small grin made its way to his lips at the remembrance of the first little gift he graced not too long ago. Jack snickered, the memory of indignant green eyes and a scowling, blushing face surfacing from his thoughts.

In all honesty, he really didn't mean to creep the guy out. He just looked _so_—okay, if Jack had to be truthful, he'd be a bit of a tightwad himself if _he_ were stuck in a dress too. Was it too much to ask for the kid to lighten up? Well, he remedied that soon enough; Jack always knew a little teasing eased up the tension…at least a little bit.

…Okay he was just lucky it happened to work, otherwise they really would have had a problem with that kiss.

Jack made a strangled noise. '_Oh dear god, that kiss...'_

"Your Highness?' the servant queried, "Is something the matter? Your face is red!"

Jack started. "Huh? U-uh yeah—don't worry about it!" Hands against his cheeks, he willed the warmth away as he suppressed a groan. Well it wasn't like _he_ made it a habit to randomly kiss strangers either. Let alone cross-dressing fish-bones like him. Really, he was _just _as reluctant and _just _as weirded out… _okay _so maybe stranger things have happened to him. Still! He was just glad that Hiccup kept his eyes closed…otherwise it would have made the situation a whole lot more awkward with both of them blushing red as tomatoes. And he'd rather not even wander _near_ his mind's territory of their actual kiss.

Jack sighed, eyes cast to the magnificent scenery of rolling hills and vibrant wildflowers dotting the landscape—a picturesque panorama of something that seemed to have been built on the romantic visions of a fairy tale countryside. But even the beautiful view couldn't exactly deter the thoughts of utter mortification at his own actions.

And maybe that was his fault—that he had been too driven to leave that sometimes the little filter in his brain that separated thoughts and actions jammed and he ended up readily jumping into the situation to resolve it…

'_And look where that got me…'_

It was quite unlikely that they'd meet again. After living for three hundred years, he knew that chance, more often than not, worked against his favor (not that he'd _want _to see the little fishbone of a boy again…or anything). _But_ if they did, he'd set the record straight with Hiccup: despite what it looked like, despite what he said—

—Jackson Overland Frost _is not _a pervert.

.

Hiccup was many things. A servant was not one of them.

"You're late," Drizella sneered. "I was calling for nearly ten minutes straight!"

So everyone did see him as Cinderella; that at least answered one question. Hiccup resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't exactly his fault that his dragon had nearly eaten the cat. Thankfully Lucifer was none the wiser about the prevented skirmish. The brunet handed the tray to the scowling woman and tried not to seem too eager to leave the room. Because he sincerely hoped that the clothes and beads scattered about the place wasn't for _him _to clean up. "And a good morning to you too—uh…" Which sister was this again?

Thankfully (or not) he was saved from the situation by a pile of clothes thrown in his direction. "Take that ironing and have it back in an hour! One hour, you hear?"

"Anything for Her Majesty," he muttered. He couldn't make a swifter exit.

Balancing the trays wasn't too bad…it was learning how to walk with them that served as a problem. He lowered the set teetering on his head to his other arm and pushed open the next door with his shoulder.

"Uh, good morning—ah…" He really should ask Jaq about this whole naming business later; after all, it's not like he can get away for much longer without them getting suspicious.

"Well! It's about time!" Anastasia adorned the same ugly scowl as her sister as she forcibly took the tray from Hiccup's grasp; oh look, she even threw a pile of clothes at him too. "Don't forget the mending! Don't be all day getting it done, either!" Maybe it was best for them to get suspicious…after all, the worst they could do to him was ship him off to sea like any other raving lunatic; that way, he could at least _sail_ to Berk.

He gave an exaggerated bow, a little difficult considering his baggage. "As her lady commands it," he drawled. It was too difficult to keep the sarcasm from seeping into his words; oh well. Hiccup didn't exactly care much for clothes; he knew how to sew, but usually worked with leather from the forge. It shouldn't be _too_ bad…

The last room that gave him chills; he didn't know why, but there was that strange feeling again—the one that told him to stay away. But it wasn't like he had much of a choice right now either. For some reason, it felt like he never did to begin with.

It was dark in the room; that was the first thing he noticed. And not in the manner that would be remedied by sunlight or a lit candle. "Well, come in, child. Come in!" Hiccup would deny the falter in his step at the voice emanating from the shadows, but at that moment, the teen just wanted the exchange to be over with.

He gave a curt bow. "Good morning, stepmother." The teen tread cautiously; as with dragons, he needed to show respect and to conceal any fear.

Thankfully, the woman merely waved him off after he placed the tray on the bed. "Pick up the laundry and get on with your duties," she commanded without further regard.

Hiccup avoided eye-contact and locked his gaze to the shadows around her instead. "Yes ma'am…"

He was home free—or at least he could almost taste the liberating solitude that was supposed to follow. But alas, fate had other plans as a strident scream resounded through the chateau. Unfortunately, the source was nearby.

"Ohhh! Mother! Oh Mother! Mother!" Anastasia scrambled into the room, an angry finger stabbed in Hiccup's direction. "You did it! You did it on purpose!" With a hateful glare, she trounced to her mother's side while Hiccup blinked and stepped away. "Mother! Mother! Mother, Mother!"

Drizella entered the room a second later, more annoyed than concerned for her sister. "Now what did you do?" Still, that same detestable look was zeroed on Hiccup. The brunet in question merely shrugged.

At her mother's side, she continued to shriek and gesture wildly to the befuddled brunet while the elder woman sought to calm her hysteria. "Oh! She put it there—a big, ugly mouse under my teacup!"

Hiccup paled. "Gus…" Quietly slipping past the doorway, he was greeted by an unsurprising sight: the malicious feline laying idly by with a huge grin. Hiccup gave him a stern glare. "All right, Lucifer. Hand him over." The cat shot him a look of faux innocence. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lucifer, I'm giving you one last chance." The cat almost looked to have raised a brow in defiance. Well, that did it. Hiccup had been practicing this with Toothless for a while, so what better test than this? The teen towered before the pampered pet, eyes trained on him with a practiced look of menace at Hiccup let out a yawp, savage and guttural from deep within his belly and made rough by his throat—a Night Fury's territorial warning. At the predatory sound, Lucifer scurried off, leaving one trembling mouse in his wake. Hiccup gave a wry grin to his trembling friend. "Well, there are some perks to being a dragon rider…" He motioned for the little guy to run before anything else caught him.

"_Cinderella_!"

"Oh Freya…" Too bad Hiccup couldn't do the same. "Yes, stepmother?" He rolled his eyes as the two sisters jeered at him from the side.

"Humph!"

"Are you gonna get it!"

A cool command greeted him as he stepped through the threshold. "Close the door Cinderella." He gladly did. Right on the snooping sisters' sneering faces. Hiccup sucked in a breath; oh well. He'd dealt with his father—a man triple the size of this woman—with worse offenses. This was no problem whatsoever.

"Come here," a cutting voice called. He approached calmly, ignoring the tightening sensation of dread in his gut. The woman, after all, seemed unarmed; he could deal with her. Lady Tremaine sat with cold ferocity, a displeased and vengeful gleam in her eyes. "It seems we have time on our hands."

Hiccup let out a caustic laugh. "Oh yes, between the feeding and ironing and mending to do, there certainly is for a good laugh."

"_Hold your tongue_!" The words echoed eerily within the vast room. Hiccup was wholly unimpressed. At least, that's what he told himself. "_Silence_!" she hissed. "Time for vicious practical jokes? Perhaps we can put it to better use." Her eyes reminded Hiccup of a Whispering Death's—soulless and without a hint of mercy. "Now let me see. There's the large carpet in the main hall," the stepmother began calmly. "_Clean it_!"she demanded with a sudden burst of volume. "And the windows, upstairs and down. _Wash them_! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies—"

The brunet sighed. "You've _got_ to be kidding me." More chores? That was his punishment? Well as long as it wasn't fixing whatever the twins (or Snotlout) broke, this wasn't anything to be worried of.

"—And don't forget the garden. Then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys and, of course, there's the mending and the sewing and the laundry." Hiccup kept his smile in place though he rolled his eyes at the listed tasks. "Oh yes. And one more thing…" Was this to be the capital punishment? Oh Hiccup could _hardly _wait. "See that Lucifer gets his bath."

That was fine; he had fixed roofs, maintained the Dragon Academy, served as cook and housekeeper from time to time in his own home, picked up after every mess each time a dragon has decided to "disturb the peace," and even served during the weekly perils of forcing a bath upon Gobber the Belch. This was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

So why did these five little words tumble right out of his mouth? "And if I say _no_?"

Because yes, a part of him was scared of her, knew that despite how unfair it was about how dogged those women were about making his—_Cinderella's—_life miserable, he was _more_ scared by the fact that after all this time, after everything he had been put through, he was once again _powerless_. And this was a feeling that Cinderella must have known too well judging by the way her so-called _family_ treated her. Hiccup was well acquainted with that despair—that hopelessness and helplessness in a situation he couldn't yet change. And strangely enough, right as those words left his lips, that strange feeling was gone—that oppressive emotion of fear and desolation, vanished.

"Now I think I've had about enough of this. It's barely morning and already I'm tired of your screeching voices repeating my name _incessantly_—and you know what? _That's not even my name." _He paused and wondered if he gave away too much; he shrugged and continued. "So really, this is the last straw: we can either just get along and _split _the work, _or_ you can go ahead and find another maid—better yet—you can go find another _stepdaughter." _Hiccup grinned in triumph at the silence that greeted him. "Huh, thought so. Old dragons like you are all roar and no fire," he remarked with a satisfied swagger.

Although, as he strode over to Lady Tremaine, he grew more and more worried for the old crone; maybe she keeled over from shock or something. It was still chillingly quiet and it did not help that the stepmother was still veiled in darkness.

"Uhm…are you okay?" He toddled closer, unsure if he should call for a healer or the village shaman to perform an exorcism. "Hello?" And he knew it was a bad idea; perhaps the woman was quietly seething in rage and was waiting for the golden opportunity to present itself to reach in and ravage him. Nevertheless, he pushed just a little bit closer and dared to reach out his hand to the still figure in the shadows.

What happened next promptly lead to a freak-out session for Hiccup. And no, it did not involve a draconic woman chasing him around the room, threatening to clobber the sass out of him. No, it involved the fact that the woman was not only completely harmless in this state…but also entirely—

_Frozen. _

It wasn't like the Flightmare's effects, or even the harshest blizzard Jökul Frosti himself could conjure—

The woman was simply frozen. Frozen in place, frozen in time. Her empty eyes peered straight ahead to where he stood not five minutes ago, mouth curled into a cruel grimace. Even Lucifer at her side remained still, not a fur out of place, not a breath in its lungs. Hiccup gulped and backed away, unnerved by the silence. There was no screaming, no demands, not even the house settling or the tiny trills of mice scurrying across the floor and behind the walls. There was only the sound of his breathing, and his breathing alone. His eyes darted to the window and if any hope remained that the old woman might've just lapsed into some kind of age-induced paralysis from distress, it was dashed the moment he spotted one of the little bluebirds that helped him that morning—

—wings still and spread, suspended in midair.

"Gods…what is going on here?" Hiccup didn't know whether to be horrified or grateful. "Did I say the magic word? Did I break this universe?" He knew he was rambling, but at least no one could hear his slow descent into madness all over again. "Ugh…" For once, Hiccup wished these sort of situations resolved themselves…but with time halted and his mortal clock still ticking, it wasn't like he had forever to idly sit by and relax. He needed to get home and although a part of him hoped he was on the right track by triggering this strange phenomena, he was more certain that he did something _wrong_ because to him, it seemed like the whole universe up and stopped to wait for him to fix it.

And then a flicker of a memory came rushing back—of a stout blue fairy and her ethereal words resonating through his thoughts. '_You must play your part, line by line.'_

At that realization, Hiccup groaned and very much wanted to bang his head against something and scream. He opted for the mattress by the foot of the bed, but it turns out even cushion and cloth is as hard as a rock when time stilled.

"Oww, ow, ohhh you've _got_ to be kidding me…" he moaned in pain. He sent a baleful look to the woman before him before resigning himself to _her_ fate. "Man…to think she has to put up with this every day…" He allowed himself one last sigh and one last lament before sealing _their _fates. "Well, if this keeps the story moving forward…" Hiccup gulped as he straightened himself. "_Will that be all_?"

And just like that, those haunting eyes were on Hiccup, a harsh, "You are dismissed," slithering past Lady Tremaine's lips.

.

When Jack arrived at the palace after an…impromptu detour, he was ushered to a grand room (a waiting room, he duly noted) that led to closed door which rattled from time to time with raised voices and startled stuttering from the occupants inside. Now, the scenery was nice and everything, what with the fancy castle and the pretty courtyard visible from the arching windows, but he was a bit more worried about the possible murder that could be taking place on the other side of that door.

The King glared at his companion squarely in the eye. "Look, the boy's coming home today, isn't he?"

The Grand Duke breathed an exasperated sigh. "Yes, sire."

A scheming chuckle resounded through the royal parlor. "Well, what could be more natural than a ball to celebrate his return?" the King reasoned.

"Nothing, sire," the lanky man agreed half-heartedly.

"And if all the eligible maidens in my kingdom just, uh," he loosed another chortle, _"happen_ to be there, why, he's bound to show interest in one of them, isn't he? _Isn't he_?" the plump royal demanded.

The nobleman gulped, taking note of just how very aggressive the man just became. "Y-y-yes, sire."

"The moment he does— Ha-ha!" The King could picture it now: "Soft lights, romantic music, all the trimmings! It can't possibly fail, can it?"

"Y-y-yes si—N-No sire." The Grand Duke shook his head in resignation. "Very well, sire. I shall arrange the ball for—"

"Tonight," the King proclaimed with finality.

"_Tonight_!" the Grand Duke started. "Oh but, sire—"

"_Tonight_!" the King repeated with underlying hostility. "And see that every eligible maid is there. _Understand_?"

There might've been a whimper of reluctance, but nonetheless, the noble's answer was: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Jack snickered but forced an air of nonchalance as he pulled away from the door his ear was previously pressed against and strode inside. "What about tonight?"

"S-son!" the chubby man sputtered. "You're early!"

'_Son?'_ At that, Jack paled; great, they were talking about _him. _"I uh, yeah! We uhm…took a little _detour_." He didn't mention the fact that after an hour or so of leisurely riding in the stifling carriage, Jack nimbly leaped out the window and took the reins himself, sometimes swerving off-road, but that was okay; the palace was _huge_. He could see it miles away and the high towers served as a useful guide back "home" in his little adventure.

"W-well that's marvelous news!" The King gave a fatherly, if not forceful, clap on the teen's back. "We'll send out the invitations at once, celebrating your return!" He spun around quickly, hoping to conceal both his plot and his embarrassment.

Jack winced. "Sure thing!" He continued to grin until the man was out of sight. "Haha…yeah…" When he was out of an earshot, he shot the Grand Duke a dry look. "Old Man tryin' to set me up?"

The man nearly dropped his monocle. "W-why, _Your Highness_! Your father is—is simply trying to…" he nonchalantly scouted the area and when he found no sign of the prickly royal, he nodded fervently.

Jack snorted. Oh well; if the green fairy was right about this, at least he might find his ticket back home tonight.

.

The sharp notes and flat tones wafted down to the foyer like an odious stench, each sour sound causing even Lucifer to wince with agony. The feline scampered down the stairs, not missing the dustpan near the last step, nor missing the opportunity to make some fun for himself and trouble for the despairing teen washing the floor.

It was miserable. Utterly miserable. "Oh ancients…" Hiccup rubbed his temples as the horrible noises started up again. "A herd of Gronckles after a limestone buffet beats this…"* the teen grumbled, unsure how humans could even generate such an awful noise.

The song itself was perfectly fine…it was the fact that one girl's voice couldn't hold a note and the other girl couldn't play one fluidly. Not that…Hiccup really had any say. His voice wasn't good for the more masculine and bellicose chants that boasted of honor, glory, and death that his tribesmen happily sung of. No, he preferred simpler tunes to pass his time at the forge. Nothing like the sword and axe-happy song of his mentor, but a more solemn melody to keep his focus. And without his notice, Hiccup lapsed into that nostalgic memory of metalwork and fire to keep the place warm, Toothless sunning himself close by and the teen immersed in his designs and perfecting his creations.

And a little song stumbled from his lips, as he focused on those times, losing his place in the present. "_Nyd__byþ nearu on breostan; weorþeþ hi þeah oft niþa bearnum to helpe and to hæle gehwæþre, gif hi his hlystaþ æror…_"* He paused, lost in the reveries of flying sparks, the sound of metal hammers striking hot iron, of the occasional breeze that would cool his face, hinting of pine and ocean, and the busy bustle of the world around him while he was lost in song and in concentration. Maybe a little too lost. A tiny little paw print proved sufficient enough to cast his thoughts back to the present. Trance broken and with a glance around him, the first words to come out of Hiccup's mouth were, "What—_Lucifer_!"

The cat gave a mischievous smirk and sauntered away, leaving Hiccup alone in the foyer, the tiles around him covered in dusty cat-tracks. "Ugh…I was right to trust Toothless about you, you little demon." He gave a menacing glare towards the top of the stairs where the feline ran off to. He threw down the rag and started up the stairs. "Just you wait…"

Thankfully, or not, a knock on the door saved Lucifer from an uncharacteristic show of violence from the pacifistic teen.

"Open in the name of the King! An urgent message from his Imperial Majesty," called a voice in regal tones.

Hiccup sighed and sulked to the door. "Please say they've come for me…prison would be a much better alternative." With a twist of the knob and the rather formal parchment held out before him in reply to his sarcasm, the teen shook his head with defeat. "I guess not. Thanks anyways," he answered as he took the letter.

"From the king," breathed Jaq as he and Gus scurried out from hiding. "What's it say, Cinderelly?"

"Uh, uh, uh what's it say?" Gus repeated.

Hiccup gave an uninterested shrug. "Beats me, but the messenger said it's urgent," the teen replied, eyeing the imperial seal over the fold of the letter. "Maybe I should interrupt the, uh, _music lesson_."

The teen knocked on the door, grateful that the sounds had stopped during his trek over there. There was some screaming and squabbling and after the dull thud of his knuckle on wood left his ears, there was an unpleasant bang of keys on the piano, but at least the dreadful singing had stopped.

Too bad it was replaced by Lady Tremaine's barking. "Yes! Cinderella I've warned you never to interrupt—"

"Yeah, but this just arrived from the King," Hiccup interjected with a wave of the parchment as he walked inside.

"From the King!" both sisters gasped in unison.

"Give it here!" Drizella demanded, snatching the letter from Hiccup's hand.

Anastasia scrabbled to steal it away. "Let me have it!"

Hiccup had to admit it was a little entertaining to watch the two awkward girls battle over a piece of paper. But it was stopped altogether when Lady Tremaine wrenched the note away from her squabbling daughters. "I'll read it," she sneered with a disapproving look. She tore open the letter and her callous eyes read over the message quickly. "Well! There's to be a ball."

"A _ball_!" the sisters breathed.

"In honor of His Highness the Prince," the Lady elucidated.

The two young women looked at each other with giddiness. "The _Prince_!"

Contrasting from this expected behavior, Hiccup groaned. "Oh not again…"

"And by royal command every eligible maiden is to attend," the stepmother clarified.

"Why, that's _us_!" Drizella exclaimed.

"And I'm so eligible!" Anastasia crowed.

Well that was fine and dandy and all…but where did that leave Hiccup? Sure he was no "maiden," but as far as everyone else was concerned…he was. So the brunet disrupted the little fawning session with a dry, "…Does that mean _I_ have to go too?"

The dark haired stepsister sneered. "Ha! _Her_! Dancing with the _Prince_!"

Anastasia took a deep bow, voice thick with bitterness and mockery. "I'd be _honored_, Your Highness! Would you mind holding my broom?" Both sisters cackled.

This couldn't have been better news for Hiccup. The teen gave a contented clap. "Great! It's decided then—I'm _not_ going!"

He looked to Lady Tremaine for the final verdict before formulating his plans to get the hell out of this place while the ugly stepsisters and wicked stepmother were away for the night. Those plans promptly fell to pieces as the familiar frozen stare of cruel green eyes and the absolute silence that follow.

Hiccup groaned. "I—ugh what, _really?!_" He looked to the sisters, a repulsive expression stuck on their faces that made the whole situation even more disturbing. To no one in particular, but still hopeful that whoever this sadistic ass was could hear him, he groused, "All right, all right! I give! I'll…_try_ to go." And softly to himself accompanied by an eye-roll, he grumbled, "Emphasis on _try_…"

And just like that, the screeching laughs and overall chaotic ruckus was back while Hiccup watched the scene play out before him as time trudged forward. It was a little impressive and quite extraordinary to witness inanimate characters come to life…too bad it was _these _characters.

Hiccup had to swallow the bile as he said this with as little disgust as he possibly could. "Well, I _am_ a member of this family, after all." And as an afterthought, '_I think…'_

Lady Tremaine remained uncharacteristically agreeable after the proposition, and even more surprisingly, she nodded. "Yes, so it does. Well I see no reason why you can't go— if you get all your work done."

Well then; how was Hiccup supposed to argue with these turn of events? "Oh I will…_I promise," _he murmured, unconvinced and skeptical at the stepmother's show of "good will."

The woman waved him off with a disinterested look. "And if you can find something suitable to wear."

"Will do. And err…thanks," the teen curtly replied before making himself scarce and closing the door. Outside and leaning against the banister, the brunet fought the urge to scream. A female servant's attire? Pretty bad but could be stomached. Another gown? Hiccup was sure that the wicked tyrant responsible for this didn't like him one bit.

Within the room, both sisters were outraged. "Mother do you realize what you just said?" Drizella cried.

"Of _course_," Lady Tremaine assured. She gave a short, cruel laugh. "I said '_if._'"

"Oh…'_if'!_" her daughter repeated, echoing the same, malicious cackle.

.

Jack let out a low whistle. "Everyone sure is making a big deal out of this…"

It was the middle of the afternoon and already, the entire palace had been scrubbed clean from top to bottom, flowers arranged, hedges trimmed, and decorations, lights, and an overall atmosphere of affluence and fairy tale grandeur beginning to form.

Beside him, the same jumpy man that audience the King's scheme responded at once. "Why of course, Your Highness! To celebrate your big return from—"

"From _where_ exactly?" Jack challenged with a raised brow.

The Grand Duke faltered. "From, erm…"

"_Right_…" the Guardian drawled. It was a bit overwhelming and just a little bit amusing to watch his "father" and other palace staff scurry about to create the perfect ambiance of_ amour_. Jack chuckled. "So, tell me, _Grand Duke_…suppose I find this 'girl' tonight…what would my _father_ have me do?" It was _highly _unlikely that he'd meet _the_ _one, _but if the King was persistent enough, Jack may find himself the unwilling groom in an arranged marriage.

For the noble, the inquiry was highly unexpected and he almost broke his precious eyewear in reaction. "W-well…the best thing, I suppose is to c-court her, woo her heart, find within yourself if your love is pure and true—" he gazed off with a dreamy expression, only to be halted right on his tracks at the King crossly eyed him across the courtyard, as if sensing any form of impending ruin to his precious plans. "Err—and _marry her_! Oh yes, yes, _marry_ her right away!" the Grand Duke hastily amended.

The Guardian shot the man a bored look. "And if I _don't_ meet her?"

"T-then…" The noble sighed and placed an understanding hand on Jack's shoulder. The Ice Spirit doubted he _really _understood, but it would be impolite to not let him continue. "If I might speak plainly, sir?" There was a worried look in his eyes that confirmed Jack's suspicions: the man thought he was in doubt or something.

"You may?" he hesitantly relented.

The man guided the teen away from the King's suspicious gaze; although the King may have his reasons, that did not justify the ruin of a young boy's chances of finding happiness. Though unsure how to go about this, the Grand Duke vowed to do his best. "Love is a—a wonderful thing, sire…you mustn't squander it away by the, ahem, _wills_ of others…but it must come from your own heart." Jack knew he was giving the man a blank look, but the Grand Duke must have taken the confusion as romantic naiveté.

"You might realize it right away, but heaven knows miracles like those come so scarcely. Adding to that, many emotions may guise themselves as true love—treacherous, is it not?" He gave a weak chuckle and suddenly Jack wasn't looking at some stock character…but a man who might have lived his own heartbreaks and bliss from this one volatile emotion. Needless to say, the Ice Spirit didn't see that one coming at all. "But…" the older man continued, "you also must remember not to realize it too late." It was a strange warning. A solemn visage fell upon his face, just for a moment, and then it was gone like it had never been there in the first place.

Jack nodded, for some reason, the caveat echoing in his thoughts with a resounding gloom. "Really…"

"Yes, yes…" the man replied, a strange sort of wisdom reverberating in his words. "Love is frightening in that manner as well, for you see, _regret_ is a deep wound that only time can remedy."

The Guardian hummed, mulling the information over; it was certainly full of holes and contradictions. "So…you're saying not to fall too quickly…and not to fall too late."

"Precisely!" the noble affirmed with enthusiasm.

"Tricky, tricky business…" Jack mused; after three hundred years, he was still no closer to solving that enigma than when he was a boy.

The Grand Duke gave a knowing smile. "Love is not as simple as, ahem, _some_ have put it…"

.

Hiccup grumbled as he rummaged through the old trunk. It was bad enough he had to go through Cinderella's clothes (while feeling more than just a little _wrong_ about snooping through a woman's closet), but now he had to find something suitable to wear in front of a Prince? Fate was definitely not on the brunet's side as each search came up dismal.

The mice were gathered around him and peering at the mysterious bundles hidden within the weathered box. He had found it hidden away with the help of Jaq and a few other friends; when Hiccup grasped something silky from the contents, he was a bit hopeful at this find. But as the teen pulled it out, he couldn't help but grimace. "Well isn't that—lovely…"

Jaq eyed it for a moment before eloquently remarking, "But dress old."

Hiccup snorted; that wasn't the only thing wrong with it. "Yeah, but you heard her…I have to find something suitable to wear."

Besides, it didn't _look_ old…it just had a different style than what the stepsisters were wearing. And…it was an _okay_ dress. Sure frills weren't his thing and neither was _pink_, and the ribbons and ruffles were a bit too much, and the sleeves could go and the skirt definitely needed to be altered—but Hiccup couldn't help but feel a little fond of it. As mortifying as that was. And for some reason, that strange tug in his chest he felt when he looked at the rumpled lump of cloth reminded him of his little stuffed dragon, probably sitting in his room right now by his bed at Berk. The teen wondered what the connection was.

"I think…" he started and drifted off, as though mesmerized by the soft texture and the girlish embellishments of the dress. And just then a memory, a faint one of a beautiful lady with crystal blue eyes and a loving smile, filled his mind. "It used to belong…"

"Cinderelly?" Perla, of the little lady mice, called.

And with that, he forced the thought out of his head, just a little bit disoriented when thinking just how that image got there in the first place. "Sorry…it's just…this dress made me feel a bit nostalgic just now…" Hiccup delicately fitted the dress over the mannequin, still wondering who that woman was.

He could have considered that odd feeling a little bit more if it weren't for the twin calls of "_Cinderella_! _Cinderella_!" disturbing the small reprieve he was allowed.

"Augh…now what do they want?" The teen sighed and prepared for another delightful encounter with the demands of the ladies of the house. He took one last glance at the strangely frilly dress and shrugged. "Eh…I'll fix it up later." He stepped over the curious mice and headed to the door, mindful of a still-sleeping Toothless he smuggled into the house not too long ago, curled up on the bed.

Jaq stared at the spot Hiccup once stood, even after the door closed when the teen left in annoyance. "Poor Cinderelly. Every time she finds a minute that's time when they begin it." The little mouse plopped down on a ball of yarn, despondently continuing. "Yeah. Keep-a busy." To Gus, he gave a sad frown. "You know what? Cinderelly's not going to the ball." At the heartbreaking gasps around him from the other mice, he shrugged. "You'll see they fix her. Work, work, work. She'll never get her dress done."

Gus stared sadly at the dress. "P-poor Cinderelly…"

In a sudden burst of inspiration, Perla looked to her friends with a wide smile and a bright idea. "Hey! _We_ can do it!" The other mice looked to her in wonder and as the idea caught on, the lady and gentlemen mice and birds gathered around happily in the room, excitedly dragging cloth, needles, and thread from the box. "We can do it, we can do it! We can help our Cinderelly! We can make the dress so pretty!"

A team of them hefted a book from the trunk and flipped through the pages of the tailoring patterns in search for a design while the rest began to snip and sew.

With delighted grins, the animals sang, "There's nothing to it, really!"

.

Hiccup sighed, exhausted and feeling grimy all over. He leaned against the windowpane, thankful for the cool night air. An initial glance at the stars drew his eyes to the glimmering lights of the kingdom, leading his thoughts astray. "Oh well, what's a royal ball?" he muttered. He sniffed, feeling oddly disappointed. "…Better not be my ticket out of here, that's for sure…" he joked heartlessly. But that only made the emptiness grow bitter.

Hiccup had never been to a ball per se…but he had accompanied his father on a few occasions between neighboring tribes and allies. There were feasts, yes, and a bit of dancing and storytelling within the grand halls, but they were never very fun and dreadfully boring and a tad hazardous when you were the tiny runt of all the tribe's heirs. No, he'd rather not attend to be scrutinized…or worse yet: ignored. But it was a funny thing…this mounting ache in his heart. It throbbed as though all his dreams were fading away into nothing but stardust, grains too fine for his hands to catch, glittering like dying embers that his eyes can't help but watch helplessly as they slipped through his fingers. It ached like that.

Hiccup groaned. "What's happening to me?" Because the last time he felt like that was nearly two years ago—before Toothless, before the Dragon Academy, before the Dragon Flight Club—before he was _useful_. Before when he kept trying and trying but his dreams were always out of his reach; when all that greeted him were taunts and jeers and silence—the silence was the worst of it because he was _alone,_ always _alone_; when harsh words and stigmas defined him, each syllable a blade marring his flesh for others to see…and those marks never did fade.

But it was a funny thing…miracles. He always knew striking a Night Fury down from the skies would change his destiny…but not in the way he imagined it. He earned this happiness, didn't he? More than that, it _cost _him; the proof was what was missing each step he took, but as a testament to his own inner strength, something more was gained with every flight, every jog, leap, and dance—

But why did that all seem so irrelevant now?

Hiccup sighed, the sound carried by the night air into the distance to the dazzling beams of elation and wonder from the palace walls. And right then, Hiccup couldn't help but wonder how many nights had passed that Cinderella would look to those lights and dream beyond what she could reach, to find one moment of happiness, purely her own to cherish and keep her going through the toil and heartache. "I hope she never stops dreaming…" Because a woman like her…she deserved to at least hold on to them, didn't she?

"Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" the mice chorused, startling Hiccup from his pensive and depressing state.

Gus celebrated unthinkingly with a hearty, "D-d-duh uh, duh happy birthday!"

"No, no, no, no," Jaq chided to his chubby friend.

He smiled wanly, eyes on the little assembly of mice and birds; at the end of the day, at the very least, Cinderella had some very good friends. "Oh…you guys shouldn't have…" And then he eyed the little surprise in the closet and blanched at the sight of the dress. "You really shouldn't have." Well…it was an improvement at least. Although, Hiccup had to reiterate: pink was _never _his color.

.

Lady Tremaine assessed her daughters and internally sighed; well, this was as good as they were going to get. "Now remember, when you're presented to His Highness be sure—"

"Wait, hold on!" Hiccup stumbled at the stairs; Mary Janes on the right foot and a prosthetic on the left, topped off with a frilly pink and white dress blinding him to where his feet were going made for a highly unbalanced and dangerous (to himself more than others) Hiccup. "I-I'm ready!" he panted as he finally reached the bottom of the steps without stumbling over and killing himself.

"Cinderella, you wouldn't!" Drizella protested.

Anastasia grabbed Lady Tremaine by the sleeve and begged, "Mother she can't! No!"

The woman shook her off and commanded silence with a single glare. "Girls, please. After all we did make a bargain, didn't we Cinderella?" The Lady nodded and Hiccup felt his blood run cold. She inspected the teen's garb, eyeing him with cold malice. "And I never go back on my word."

She reached her hand out to Hiccup's slender neck and the teen feared for his life at that moment. "Hmmm. How very clever." Her fingers lifted the teal necklace that the mice _swore_ was just laying there, unused. The brunet gulped as Lady Tremaine began speaking once more. "These beads, they give it just the right touch, don't you think so _Drizella_?"

The stepsister huffed and "No I don't! I think she—" But when she took a closer look, the woman gasped out in contempt and disbelief. "Why you little _thief_! They're my beads! Give them here!"

Hiccup barely had time to blink before Drizella reached in and broke the beads right from his neck.

"Oh and look! That's my sash!" There was a harsh tug on the dress followed by a sharp rip as Anastasia destroyed the delicate work of Cinderella's friends and the gown of Cinderella's mother. "Wearing my sash! She can't! You wicked—"

"This is _mine_!"

"And _my_ ribbon!"

"Why you _thief_!"

"_Kitchen wench!_"

"Oh you _ungrateful_ little—!"

"Girls, girls!" With a cruel smirk, Lady Tremaine turned and sauntered to the door. "That's quite enough. Hurry along now both of you. I won't have you upsetting yourselves." She took one last glance at Hiccup, a heartless glare from her eyes at the sight of the boy, flesh red and bruised, dress torn and irreparable; from the look in his eyes, the same could be said of the boy's spirit. Her smile widened as she closed the door. "Good night…"

* * *

About Hiccup's prosthetic…it's still there. The stepfamily has either yet to notice it or don't want to acknowledge it. After all in the past, people with physical disabilities were not to be associated with.

Cinderella originally named Gus "Octavius." "Magnus" was the name Gobber gave to a newborn girl when he was helping Stoick out with his duties as chief in Riders of Berk. Neither parent was very pleased with the name.

*=Christianity was not unknown to Vikings and was often mixed with their own beliefs; Beowulf, which was mentioned in the HTTYD book series, mixed both Christianity and Nordic culture philosophy. I wouldn't be surprised if Hiccup knew a bit of Christianity, if only some key names.

*=Meatlug gets indigestion from limestone. Not quite sure if that applies to all Gronckles.

*= A line from the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem. English translation: "_Trouble__is oppressive to the heart; yet often it proves a source of help and salvation to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes_." It was a part of believed to have been sung as a pneumonic device to help remember the runic alphabet, but there has been some dispute to its authenticity. This is something I can imagine a younger Hiccup singing when he was feeling down.

Also, there's a specific reason why that song's in Norse and not in English.

Toothless - He's supposed to be Bruno in the story, but instead of an old dog, he is a young dragon. In the book series, young dragons sleep heavily in an almost comatose state. Here, however, he is just prone to being very tired

-This movie is long omg ;;-


	3. So this Is Love (?)

I hope this update didn't take too long now? Haha...I hope the length makes up for it ^^; Special thanks to **Valerie Kreiss** for sticking by me with this and offering her editing and suggestions. Again, sorry this took a while...

Chapter title: the song Cinderella sang as she danced with the Prince.

Warnings: Further divergence from the Walt Disney version.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but a laptop and certain plot elements.

* * *

It wasn't as though Hiccup hadn't felt worst. Being the village outcast for the first thirteen years of one's life granted him that sort of exclusive experience. But that's not to say that the faint pulses of dry humor eased away the ravenous and consuming heartbreak that threatened to blur his vision and create a sharp stinging in his eyes. It would be foolish to think that at all. In the back of his mind, he wondered just how utterly depraved one had to be to stoop that low, to take the slimmest chance for change, to literally hold one's happiness by the flimsiest thread, and just when it seemed as though it would hold—that single strand was snipped away through cutting callousness and wounding words.

Laughably, even Vikings were not so _barbaric_.

There was a bitter almost-chuckle at that. Yes…_laughably_…that explained the small trembles that shook his body as Hiccup walked blindly through the hall. Jaq, Gus, and Perla and the other mice stood by the stairs, aghast and devastated. Even Toothless had roused from his slumber, maybe from the commotion, maybe from the heart-wrenching distress of his partner stirring him from sleep's grip. For whatever reason, the dragon bleated softly by Hiccup's side at once with the other little creatures trailing behind. The boy took little notice of this, mind elsewhere and nowhere at all. One side of his conscious waged war with the other: half cluttered with confusion and despondency, the other crumbling with grief and bitterness.

But he walked on either way. A part of his mind told him that _perhaps _this was meant to happen, that it wasn't enough to simply _dream _for your wish to come true—and maybe, just _maybe _that was the lesson in all this. Maybe that's what h—_she _had to learn in this.

(Because _he_ learned that the hard way, didn't he?)

He had no idea where he was going and he was sure he hadn't even been to this part of the manor yet, but he let his heart be his guide…as broken and sunken as it was. It was ridiculous too. _He_ didn't even want to go to the damn ball—

—but _she_ did. She did with all her heart.

So it was maybe a little foolish too. But he let her heart guide him, through the doors and to a garden falling into disrepair. Mind exhausted and emotionally drained, Hiccup sighed in what little reprieve he was allowed at the sight of a stone bench beneath a solemn tree, heavy branches swaying with the night winds, almost tearfully, weeping with what could not be. The teen sat down and nearly collapsed; his eyes were fixated on the stars and he wondered why people wished on such things when the gaping and empty maw only glared back, silent, in return.

"_In dreams you will lose your heartaches_

_Whatever you wish for you keep…"_

Hiccup choked out a laugh. "So…was this what you wanted to tell me?" Though, it was quite hard to do with one part of his heart breaking; it came out sounding like a sob instead.

"_Have faith in your dreams and some day…"_

He returned the glare at the black canvas above him, little specks of glimmering white frustratingly and painfully out of reach. "That _dreams_—they weren't meant to come true?" Because _yes_, he knew that some were born victors, heroes, or villains, that some were born _challengers_ to overtake and overcome, while some were born as _challenges_ to be faced and defeated. And no matter what one wished…well, sometimes, it just wasn't in their hands.

"_Your rainbow will come smiling through…"_

"Gods, _one night! _That's all she wanted…" He bit his lip, quite aware that his frustration had given away to some very stubborn tears that refused to be silenced. "One night…one night away from all…_this_," he motioned haplessly to the ruined dress. Hiccup scoffed, the harsh sound worrying the dragon beside him.

"_No matter how your heart is grieving…"_

Unsure of what to do for his rider, the Night Fury laid his head down on the ripped fabric, nuzzling the teen's lap and whining softly. Hiccup stroked the smooth, black scales, but found little comfort in the familiar act. "She wanted it…with all her heart. But now look—"

"_If you keep on believing…"_

"There's nothing left…nothing left to believe in at all…" The brunet wiped away a bothersome tear, only to succeed in allowing more to trickle down his cheeks. His eyes were beginning to blur and lights and color started to meld together in his vision. This was stupid. He hadn't cried since he was little. But right now, feeling so small and lost and _hopeless_…well, it's not like anyone else was there to see him. Well, except for the mice, the birds, the mare, Toothless, and all the other friends he made that day.

"The dream that you wish will come true…_"_

Okay, _now _he just about had it. "WHERE IS THAT COMING FROM?!"

And just as he blurted that out in mind-muddled rage, a faint chuckle sounded beside him, "Nothing to believe in my dear? Oh now you don't really mean that."

It was a good thing Toothless was right there; the dragon didn't break his fall or anything when he landed on his butt from jumping in terror at the sight of the elderly woman beside him, but his friend did manage to steady him back on his feet. "_Wh_—w-who are you?" And when the woman gave him a wan smile in reply, Hiccup thought it was very appropriate to ask: "_What_ are you?"

But instead, the blue-clad lady only gave him a patient smile and replied, "Answer the question, dear. It's only polite."

"I-I'm sorry…you caught me by surprise…" And Hiccup didn't exactly know why _he_ was apologizing (after all, the woman nearly gave him a heart attack), but she at least didn't _look_ dangerous. He gulped and, after debating with himself for a good five seconds, took a seat beside her. "Well, as you can probably tell…I'm not really big on the whole…_believing_ alone will get her—or I guess I should say _my_—dream anywhere." He slouched forward, resting his elbows on his lap, facing the woman with fatigue. "It never really worked." That's not to say that it didn't play a key role; there was no doubt about that. It was just that belief in oneself only came in second to _I've got nothing left to lose._

But the woman seemed to be an optimist as she took his hand in hers and soothed his back. "Nonsense, child. If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am!" she exclaimed. With a softer smile, she wiped her thumb against Hiccup's cheek. "Oh, come now. Dry those tears. You can't go to the ball looking like that."

Grateful but wary at the sudden kindness from a stranger, Hiccup pulled away but gave the mysterious woman a wry grin. "Sorry, but in this? I don't think that's happening. Not unless you got yourself a pretty little ball gown and a carriage up your sleeves."

And now the woman was wearing a full-blown grin and for some reason that made Hiccup _very _nervous. "_Why_ it just so happens—_aha_!" She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a sliver of white and extended the faint strand to a long, thin line between her fingers. Hiccup wasn't entirely sure if he should be impressed, startled, or used it to it by now. "Smart thinking; I had almost forgotten that I had put it away!" the woman cheerily added.

Jaq gasped. "Look what she did!"

Gus nodded, echoing, "Uhm duh, duh how she do it?"

Hiccup groaned, recognizing that _blasted _object. "Oh gods, not another _wand_—"

"But of course I have a wand, silly thing," the woman chided with a hearty laugh. "I am your Fairy Godmother after all!"

"Fairy…Fairy what?" Okay, _now _things were getting a little bit more familiar with the last…_story_. But wouldn't that mean…"But you can't—" Hiccup started weakly. '_That would mean…'_

The Fairy Godmother smiled and pulled herself up from her seat. "Of course I am! But we'll have to hurry because even miracles take a little time."

"_Miracles_," the brunet repeated flatly. Of course, an occasion like this would definitely call for one if he was ever going to get to that ball. But a _fairy? _'"_Another" fairy,' _his mind supplied with unease.

Either ignoring the boy or misplacing his words due to age, the Fairy surveyed the garden. "Now let's see. Hmm. I'd say the first thing you need is a—a _pumpkin_."

Hiccup blinked, repeating the words slowly. "A…_pumpkin_." Great. She was as batty as the other three.

"Hmm-hmmm. Now the magic words…" She hummed for a moment and Hiccup was quite ready to take cover at the unsure look that fell upon her face. The Fairy grinned brightly as the words came to her. "Uh— oh, _Ahem_!" And with a wave of her wand…she began to sing.

"_Sala-gadoola-menchika-boo-la_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo_

_Put 'em together and what have you got?_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo!"_

And it really was magic—that was the only way Hiccup could describe it. Trickles of sparks swirled and swam in the night air, adrift on their own streamlets of luminescence that rivaled the gems scattered across the sky, surging from the very tip of the wand.

"_Sala-gadoola-menchika-boo-la_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo_

_It'll do magic believe it or not!_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo!"_

The streamlets snared a large pumpkin from the patch, easing it out from place like rousing an animal from slumber, hefting the vegetable afloat.

"_Now Sala-gadoola means_

_Menchika booleroo_

_But the thing-a a ma-bob that does the job_

_Is Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo!"_

And now Hiccup really was sure that this lady meant serious business as the pumpkin ballooned in size while the stems and leaves curled and twisted to create wheels and a base for the coach to sit atop. It grew pearly and bright, the spell sinking into its very core, transforming it from the inside out.

"_Sala-gadoola-menchika-boo-la_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo!_

_Put 'em together and what have you got?_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi_

_Bibbidi-Bobbidi-boo!"_

And just like that—it was done. Toothless gently nudged Hiccup out of his stupor, the brunet coughing slightly and set his jaw right back up to where it belonged. There it was: a coach. Sure the carriage looked very…pumpkin-esque, but Hiccup had to admit—it pulled off the strange elegance quite well.

The mice gasped from where they observed, gasping and chattering excitedly at the wonder and magic the Fairy was capable of.

"Oh lookee, lookee!"

"Isn't it wonderfee?"

"Isn't it, huh?"

Hiccup swallowed and looked at the kind-eyed Fairy Godmother. "It's…yeah…that's really…impressive…"

The woman, quite pleased with herself, surveyed her work with an appreciative eye. "Yes, isn't it? Now with an elegant coach like that, of course we'll simply have to have, uh..." And then her sights were set on Jaq and the others. "Oh, that's right! _Mice_!"

"Mice," Hiccup started slowly before shrugging. "You know what, I'll just…trust you. You…seem to know what you're doing." He felt…just _slightly_ bad as the troupe gasped and began to scurry away. Hiccup hoped that whatever the Fairy had in store…it would at least be painless for his poor friends.

"Oh, this is really nice. Why, we'll have a coach-and-four when we're through. Just a wave of my stick and to finish the trick, _bibbidi, bobbidi, boo_!" The flow of magic led to a rather fast and fascinating transformation from rodent to stallion, but Hiccup was just thankful to find that they seemed unharmed from the process. That, however, contrasted with the bewildered and slightly concerned expression on the Fairy's face. "Gracious, what did I do? I was sure there were four of them. There should be one more..." Hiccup gave a subtle cough towards a grinning Lucifer with a quivering cup under his paw; the beast probably snuck in here during the…surprise visit. The Fairy sighed in relief. "There you are_! Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo_!"

What resulted was nothing short of vengeance for a transformed Gus and a heart-stopping moment of terror for the feline.

Hiccup watched with a bit of guilty pleasure at the sight of the little beast running for its life. _Still_…"Hmph. Serves the little demon right."

The Fairy nodded in agreement. "I second that, dear." She inspected her creations and took inventory for what else was needed for the night. "Now, um, where were we? Oh, goodness yes. You can't go to the ball without a—a horse!"

"Another one?" the teen inquired; _now _he was starting to question this as the Fairy waved her wand over the mare, the transformation taking place without noted objection.

"But tonight for a change you'll handle the reins and sit in the driver's seat too. For instead of a horse you're the coachman of course! _Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo_!" The Fairy smiled, satisfied at the clever switch. The mare, now in the driver's seat, was quite pleased with the turnout as well.

"But why couldn't the horse—" Hiccup stopped himself right there; even he knew some things were better off not questioned. Plus, one should never look a gift horse in the mouth anyways. "You know what…forget it."

The woman hummed in delight. "Well, that does it. I guess except for— Oh yes the finishing touch! And that's _you_," indicating to the brunet's direction. Hiccup nodded, readying himself for what was to come. Though, he was a bit unprepared for the next words to come out of her mouth: "Yes _Bruno,_ that's right!"

The brunet sighed. "_Toothless_," Hiccup corrected before he paled. "Oh no, Toothless—!"

"You'll be a footman tonight!" The Fairy cast the spell, not even blinking as Hiccup threw himself over his best friend; not even the streamlets and trickles of light seemed to mind his rather feeble intervention as it swerved, swirled, and averted him altogether. The Night Fury gave an indignant whine as the glimmering lights lifted him from the ground. "_Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo_!"

And in a similar fashion with the other transformed creatures, the process was utterly fascinating and worrying at the same time. Hiccup really didn't know how to react with what stood in front of him: a young human boy dressed in formal garb with toxic green eyes staring back at him with curiosity. There was a moment of stunned silence as it took the brunet about a minute or so to absorb what had just happened. When he did, Hiccup gulped in hesitancy before Toothless gave him the same awkward grin Hiccup knew all too well. Well, that at least didn't change. "Hey, bud," the brunet greeted, pausing before ruffling the head of jet-black hair. The child leaned into his touch, almost purring in delight. "That's a good look for ya," the brunet noted mildly. Toothless didn't say anything in return, but the happy gleam in his eyes reassured the teen that he was all right.

The Fairy opened the door to the coach, beaming with approval. "Well, well hop in, my dear. We can't waste time!"

And while he would have loved to see if he could have Toothless verbally communicate with him (learning Dragonese was still a bit of a difficult development for the young Viking), Hiccup looked to his dress, still ruined and still very much inappropriate for a formal ball. "Uh, unless this is a new fashion statement…" the teen began, but was promptly cut short.

"Oh, now, now, don't try to thank me," the Fairy insisted.

"Erm, I wasn't—well, I _was_ of course, I mean this is all amazing, but…can't you do something about…_this_?" the brunet gestured.

The woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, you're _lovely_ dear—_good heavens_ _child_!" As grateful as Hiccup was for her services, there was no stopping the eye-rolling that commenced. "You can't go in _that_," the Fairy gasped. Again, there was a sardonic little nod from the brunet as she took a closer look, inspecting the teen from his frame to his face. "Now, uh, let's see dear. Your size and the shade of your eyes… Mm-Hmmm. Something simple, but daring too. Oh! Just leave it to me," she trilled excitedly. "What a gown this will be! _Bibbidi, bobbidi, Bibbidi, bobbidi, Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo_!"

This time, Hiccup was a bit too late to try and brace himself; but what he expected as a burst of light instead appeared as a glimmering veil that melted away what hatred and malice had ruined to something beautiful and untainted—something pure and true, reflected by the luminous shade that seemed to glimmer and shine in the moonlight.

And…as embarrassing as it was, he was entranced by it, the elegance captured in the silken material, the confidence in such a gown, lovely and innocent, yet refined and regal. "It's…like a dream," Hiccup breathed, enthralled by the magic around him, how a night of disaster and despair transformed into a moment of promise.

And then he took a step forward.

The teen frowned and lifted the dress, high enough to see that even his shoes were given a little bit of a touch-up. He then proceeded to deadpan. "Or…you know…any one-legged guy's nightmare." The boy sighed and lowered his leg, experimentally testing his weight on it. "A single glass slipper, huh," he muttered as he eyed the beaming Fairy. Reluctantly, even Hiccup had to admit: "Well, it beats pink."

And now everything was ready, a phenomenon built from haphazard designs, fickle fate, or a meticulous destiny that prodded every step the brunet took to this final moment. And it was _surreal_ and just as he was beginning to tire of that word, his mind was beginning to grow extremely weary of these moments of clarity that would soon fade out in favor of the neat little chaos of what laid before him and what he was supposed to do. But in this moment, where he suddenly realized that he was in a dress and about to go gallivanting off to Thor-knows-where in a pumpkin-carriage drawn by mice-horses with a former stallion taking the reins, and a Night Fury as a footman, it pretty much makes one think for just a moment to place his situation in perspective.

"Hang on, wait!" The Fairy blinked and gave the boy a bemused look as he staggered awkwardly to her. "Really, thank you for all…_this_," the brunet started, wincing at the awkward feel of the fragile footwear, but he was honest as he said that; she was the first kind human(oid) he had encountered in this small stretch of eternity. But he had to put things in priority right now before he was swept away again. He felt like he was losing his mind and that above all _terrified _him. "But I have to ask you—you do know…I'm _not_ who everyone thinks I am…_right_?" He gave her a desperate look, knowing that the next few words to come from her mouth could make _his_ wish come true.

He swore he actually heard his hopes splinter at the sight of her bewildered smile. "Well, no one will tonight, dear." She patted his cheeks in a grandmotherly fashion, seemingly unaware of his inner-turmoil. "Now run along! The ball awaits you!"

"Hold on!" And miraculously (perhaps this night was full of them), she looked at him—_actually looked at him_—and waited as he continued. "Please…you have magic, don't you?" The Fairy gave a hesitant nod at the fraught look in the boy's eyes. And it wasn't like she could deny it; the evidence was currently adding an extra silver and poufy five to ten pounds on him. "If there's anything you can do—any way to get me out of this…I need to know." Hiccup didn't like to beg; he knew begging never worked, but it was one of those things so innate that there really was no helping it. "The other fairies, they—"

"Magic I may be…but not everything can be solved with a wave of a wand," the woman said. Something in her eyes erased the light and cheery nature altogether for one frightening moment. But a second came and passed, and that bizarre, foreboding air she exuded dissipated altogether. She smiled fondly at the boy and Hiccup knew then and there that it'd be no use. "Sometimes, to have what you desire, you must be willing to waltz right in there and take it!" After all, transforming a dragon into a human or a pumpkin into a carriage…what sort of power is that compared to this mess Hiccup somehow landed in? There was a warm hand cupping his cheek, the boy's eyes reluctantly meeting with the kind, warm gaze of the Fairy. "The answers you seek lie beyond those walls…trust this heart," she advised, gesturing to the fluttering cadence in his chest, elated in this one chance, this one dream. "You'll find that it's not so different from your own." The woman gave him a smile, covert and brimming with what could be possibilities or emptiness. "And when the time comes…your happiness will be granted as well."

Hiccup gave her a wry grin. "Time?" The boy was fairly sure that no amount of that would he ever find happiness while wearing a dress.

"Oh, oh yes! _Time_!" Her eyes lit up at the reminder, consoling and comforting exchange broken. "Oh, now, now, now just a moment. You must understand, my dear. On the stroke of twelve the spell will be broken and everything will be as it was before," she informed with urgency.

"So there's an expiration date to magic as well…" Hiccup hummed. That was something to take note of. He nodded and felt just a little bit more grateful towards the woman. "I…understand. Thank you."

"Bless you my child. I— _Goodness me_! It's getting late!" There was a light scuffle that followed, involving the brunet being stuffed into a carriage while nearly tripping over his own foot (minding the glass slipper). When the carriage door slammed shut and before the horses galloped off, the Fairy waved goodbye, cheering, "Hurry up dear! The ball can't wait! Have a good time! Dance! Be gay! Now off you go—you're on your way! _With a bibbidi-bobbidi bibbidi, bobbidi bibbidi-bobbidi-boo_!"

.

"The Princess, Federica Eugenie de la Fontaine. Mademoiselle Augustine Dubois, the daughter of General Pierre Dubois," the herald announced.

'_God, this is hell…' _Jack braved another forced grin as the next batch of nobles crowded around and presented _yet another _lady in a seemingly endless throng of excitable, giddy, power-lusting females.

That is, of course, unfair to say that _all_ the women there that night were after royal titles…some wanted romance _on the side_.

The cynicism of the long night wasn't just affecting Jack. The King sat back in his throne, overlooking the entire scene with distaste and impatience from the balcony. "Bah! The boy isn't cooperating," he groused. The Grand Duke beside him nodded with just a hint of complacency behind the agreement.

Now it wasn't that Jack _typically _displayed this sort of behavior…but it would be much more understandable with the supplied information that the herald had been calling out names since the beginning of the night and Jack had to do nothing but stand there and greet the lovely (and the not-so) maidens, one after the other, after the other, after the other, and _after the other_. And…your eye tends to wander during these times when the herald was busy pronouncing _each_ title and _every_ name belonging to a single person (who needs more than a first, middle, and last name?), and you see things like busy-body mothers dictating every step her daughter makes, whispers and stares and giggles that watched his every move and all this reminded Jack that _sometimes_, being invisible wasn't so bad. And from someone who lived more than three hundred years of that—yes, his situation had hit rock bottom some time ago. And really, it was _so_ tiring. '_If I have to smile and bow at one more stuffy, leery-eyed, august name—' _following that train of thought, Jack committed something of a sin in the King's eyes: he yawned.

The royal was fit to burst. "I can't understand it! There must be at least one who'd make a suitable mother!" At the Freudian slip, he stammered before shakily correcting, "– erm,_ wife_, yes. I meant wife."

Smugness brought to the forefront, the Grand Duke chuckled. "Well, if I may say so, Your Majesty, I _did_ try to warn you, but you, Sire, are incurably romantic." The man took another triumphant laugh at the fuming King, nonchalantly wiping the smudges off his monocle. "No doubt you saw the whole pretty picture in detail: The young prince bowing to the assembly. Suddenly he stops." And just as he spoke those very words, Jack did so as if by command, captivated by a siren-song off in the distance. "He looks up, for there she stands: the girl of his dreams!" The King watched with rapt attention as the Grand Duke narrated the very scene before his eyes, the Prince weaving through the crowd to meet a mysterious woman shrouded in elegance and moonlight. "Who she is or whence she came, he knows not, nor does he care. For his heart tells him that here, here is the maid predestined to be his bride!" The man scoffed. "A pretty plot for fairy tales, Sire, but in real life, oh no. No, ho-ho-ho. It was foredoomed to failure," the noble taunted.

"_Failure_, eh?" the King demanded as he pulled the Grand Duke towards the sight. "Ha-ha! Take a look at _that_, you pompous windbag!" And to the Grand Duke's utter (embarrassment) astonishment, there the Prince was—the scene taken straight out of the very romances he had parodied not ten seconds ago, towards the silhouette of a fair maiden bathed in the shades of the night. "Who is she? Do you know her?" the royal asked.

The Grand Duke shook his head. "No, Sire. I've never seen her before."

"That's one thing in her favor," the man chortled with excitement. He gave a harsh whisper commanding, "The waltz! Quick! The waltz! Lights!"

.

Destiny was indeed mysterious; the crone atop her wheel of Fate cackled at the misfortune and misgivings she wrought, the cycles turning clockwise and counter, callous eyes alight with amusement at the outcome, a guiltless gamble on her part. And lives met in fiery collisions, the snares of love and fortune tangled hopelessly, souls bound to one another in complete disregard of what stood in between—selfishness it was. But that mattered not to her as she threw her head back and crowed with laughter.

At least, that's how Hiccup envisioned it as he deadpanned. "Ugh…_you_? _Again_?" In all honesty, he was more surprised that he was surprised by the situation's turnout.

The frosty-haired boy rolled his eyes, though the beginnings of a grin started to form on his lips. "Hello to you too, _princess_." Of course he had recognized the boy the moment he saw him; even in near-darkness with only moonbeams casting their pallid light, there was no mistaking it...because oddly enough, throughout this entire night, his face was the only one his brain saw worth taking a second glance at.

"Oh yeah, '_princess'_—_real_ charming," Hiccup muttered.

And the guy had the gall to _smirk_… "That's _Prince_ Charming to you," Jack corrected.

Yes, while Hiccup was hoping to find his answers tonight, he also expected for Cinderella to finally realize her dream; as with most "dreams" lately, they had this rather annoying connection with the other boy. And what was more, there also seemed to be a surplus of moments of him in dresses involved… Hiccup gave a noisy sigh. "Of course, you get to play the little royal while I get to play the little housekeeper." And yes…he was rather bitter about that part as well. Last time, he was cursed by a witch to die; now he was cursed as a thrall for three witches and their cat.

Why was it that every time they met, the little fishbone always seemed to be in a bad mood? "Woah, woah, no need to get prickly, Cinderella."* Still, Jack reasoned that it was at least a small consolation that he wasn't alone in this…and he could set the record straight with the other.

The brunet shot him a bland look. "Hey, when was the last time _you_ had to wash twenty-five windo—_how did you know that_?"

"Huh?" Jack blinked as Hiccup warily backed away from him. Really, he needed to work on his "first impressions" with the guy. It felt a bit like calming down a frightened animal as he gingerly approached the brunet. "Know what?"

"My—err, _her_ name! _Cinderella_!" And for Hiccup this kept getting weirder and weirder...and that was saying a lot considering his run-in with his "Fairy Godmother"…and the talking mice.

It took perhaps five seconds for Jack to register what the other boy was saying, three seconds to second-guess the other's words, another three to realize that _yes_, the seriously freaked out and suspicious looks the brunet were throwing him were in fact quite genuine, and two more to catch on what was happening. "Oh my god…" And he looked closely at the dress and (somehow) paled further. "You—you're serious?" And he thought again of the _ball_, the _scene_, and the _circumstance_. "You're seriously Cinderella?" Despite it all, it was still quite hard to believe.

Hiccup gave him an odd look. "Yeah, I thought I already established—_why did it suddenly get darker_?" Jack groaned as the brunet cautiously scanned the area, starting as the orchestra began its waltz. "The music—what's going on?" It was just then that Hiccup realized it had grown _immensely_ quiet the moment Jack once again joined this madness. The brunet took a peek at the ballroom and swallowed at the sight. "And…why are people looking at us?" Because it was _that_ unnerving to find so many eyes aimed directly, not at _him_, but at _them_ like they were…

The Guardian sighed and stepped closer to Hiccup, his voice saturated with resignation. "They're green with envy that the belle of the ball has stolen the heart of the prince." He then gave a reluctant and curt bow.

The brunet nearly sputtered. "_What_?"

"Just to make it clear—you're _the _Cinderella, right?" After a befuddled and hesitant nod, Jack got quite uncomfortably close and placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder and murmured, "Okay, then. For now, just follow my lead," and the other hand on the small of the brunet's back.

In retrospect, the latter probably wasn't such a good idea. Especially with how Hiccup squirmed out of the strange hold in quick, uneasy movements. "_What_? Okay, I've had enough of taking orders without any answers so there is no way I'm doing that without a proper—"

And the music stopped. And well…so did everything else. Hiccup bemoaned his fate while the frosty-haired boy took a hesitant look back, quite ready to be embarrassed that the little _princess _quite blatantly "rejected" him. But instead of aghast expressions, wide eyes, slack-jawed mouths, and scandalized reactions, he was met with...something rather unexpected.

It was quite a sight for Jack*, seeing the same unmemorable faces staring blankly back, an eerie soulless glaze over their frozen faces; it reminded him of wax dolls…and those never failed to creep him out. Now even more so with a palace filled with halted movements or melody, seemingly the entire _world_ devoid of motion, devoid of sound, devoid of life. Neither light nor shadow flickered, the sheer emptiness resounding uncomfortably with chilling consequence.

Jack gulped, very unnerved and very concerned. "Woah, okay, I don't remember this part of the story."

"Gods…" Hiccup muttered and Jack had to be grateful, once again, that he wasn't alone in this. Even if the other was more than just a little disagreeable. "Okay, okay…_fine_," Hiccup conceded and threw a glare at the evening sky; Jack had to snap out of his stupor after the other boy grabbed his hands and awkwardly put them back in the "appropriate" position. And just like that, the scene seemed to breathe a sigh and time marched on. The Guardian gave him a questioning look; Hiccup made a small noise of irritation and conceded. "It's been doing this all day…if I make some kind of 'wrong' choice, everything just stops until I roll over and do what the…'story' wants me to do…"

It was hard to believe, but after that demonstration, it was harder to deny. "Sounds both convenient and inconvenient." And Hiccup had to agree, to an extent; Jack was right in that aspect. It was a rather useful tactic for dictating one's actions… The frost-haired teen hummed in thought, idly swaying the two of them back and forth in a semi-dance. "C'mon, place your hand over here…" He guided the other's unsure hands to his shoulder and with the other hand, grasped the brunet's shaky fingers. Jack mulled over the information when it suddenly struck him: "Haven't you heard of this fairy tale?" Judging from the younger's reaction to his knowledge of the iconic fairy tale, it definitely seemed to be.

"Here…?" Still very much uncertain, Hiccup just rested his hand near the other's clavicle. It was definitely uncomfortable with them being so close. He peered into those icy blue eyes further betrayed his tentativeness with a dubious, "What do you mean?"

And for Jack, this was awkward as well. He gave a sigh and tried not to sound too helpless as he muttered, "Okay…I'm a bit unsure, so bear with me…" So began the waltz: "All right, one-two-thre-_ee—_" Jack winced as something quite heavy and decidedly _solid_ knocked against his tibia. He could almost feel the bone rattle. Lovely.

"Sorry…" Hiccup cringed and felt a twinge of sympathy after the stumble. He had used the prosthetic to knock out a grown man before after all. But hey, it wasn't his fault the guy started moving without telling him anything. Plus there was also the little tidbit of: "But you haven't answered my question."

"Hiccup, right?" A slight nod was given. "Well Hiccup…this is a fairy tale: Cinderella— and really, I can't believe you've never heard of it! I mean it's—_oww, ow_!"

"Sorry! Sorry, geez…" Hiccup sighed. "I'm not exactly used to…_this,_" he muttered, eyeing the movement of their feet. He frowned. "What is _this_?"

Okay, now Jack _knew _there was something wrong with this kid. Unless of course that was a jab at their pitiful attempts in the dance. "It's called '_waltzing_,'" the older boy drawled, but felt just slightly bad and a little bit pained at the guilty look on the other's face as Hiccup once again managed to step on Jack's toes. "And…well, I haven't exactly _done_ this either, so don't worry—it's not _entirely _your fault."

Hiccup had worked in the forge ever since he was little—well, _littler_. So he knew ninety pounds resting on iron to the feet were probably going to leave quite a few marks. "Erm…you sure we should keep going?"

Jack gave a shrug, ignoring the throbbing ache of his legs. "My gut says that if we stop, everything else will too." He had caught a glimpse of the bizarre prosthetic in their last meeting and he _knew_ the thing looked painful…he just didn't think he'd be on the hurting end. "But yeah, my forming bruises say that _maybe_ we should continue this conversation somewhere more…_private_?" He barely held back a whimper at a rather _forceful_ kick to his shins. "_Oww_!"

"_What are you suggesting_!?" the brunet hissed, vainly wriggling out of Jack's hold.

It took quite a bit to make the Embodiment of Winter blush, but this boy proved to be quite the exception to that. "_Nothing_! Geez, get your mind out of the gutter…" Jack grumbled. "Despite what happened last time, I am _not_—"

"_Where do you think you're putting that hand_?" It was a neat little contradiction Jack had just performed, especially when he had inadvertently lowered the apparently offending appendage in trying to tighten his grip to an area that sent off warning signs to the young Viking. So in his panic, who else was there to catch the flailing maiden than the dashing Prince?

Which, of course, made the situation a whole lot worse.

"I'm just trying to lead!" Jack argued, face very close to the other boy, the waltz feeling a bit more like tap-dancing with how he tried to avoid swift kicks from the other boy.

The Viking very nearly thrashed. "Don't hiss in my ear!"

"Don't kick me with your iron foot!" he countered.

"Oh, this foot is good for more than just _kicking_," the brunet warned.

"Just—augh…calm down…" And those words did have a rather strange effect on the younger teen. Because he looked to be quietly seething once more. Probably to avoid another mishap with their dear, sadistic friend, Time. Whatever it was, this kid _really_ didn't like the feeling of being trapped. Jack gave a little bit more distance between them and steadied their positions. "Okay, follow my lead. Then we can talk about this _properly_." He took three calming breaths and was quite pleased to see the younger teen do the same. "Okay, now count with me now…one-two-three, one-two-three…" His eyes watered and though he bit his lip to stop the noise from escaping, the pain proved itself too formidable. "_Oww_!"

"Sorry." But Hiccup wasn't, really.

.

From the ballroom, the crowd silently marveled at the stunning pair, a sight to behold as the Prince swept the mysterious girl to a dance, delicate and intimate, bashful and coquet, auspicious and fated all at once. Some sighed in defeat and yearning, others for the love of romance, and quite a few in envy at the emotions they shared as they looked into each other's eyes with mute passion.

"Who is she, Mother?" Anastasia asked, as curious as all the other maidens of the kingdom.

Drizella frowned as she took another glance at the beautiful young lady in the moonlight. "Do we know her?"

Her sister huffed, feeling more than just a little put off by the obvious air of magic between the waltzing pair. "Well the prince certainly seems to. But I know I've never seen her."

The woman stood by her daughters, mood soured and plans sullied. "Nor I. But she certainly is—_Wait_!" The Lady narrowed her eyes, catching a glimpse of the girl's face. "There is something familiar about her…" But she knew it was impossible. It was impossible because she _made _it impossible. But the doubt was there, whispering, insisting, goading, and warning for her to take another look—come closer and see exactly _why_ this girl seemed so familiar.

Fortunately, those of higher command seemed to have other ideas as a certain noble drew a curtain over the veranda's opening, blocking the pair from sight, and leaving the Stepmother with nothing but an eye-full of red and a surprised "Oh!" fleeing from her mouth.

Grand Duke gave the woman a polite, "Ahem," indicating that love was in the works and there was to be no interruptions until further notice.

.

The stars gleamed with an iridescent light, painting the skies in pallets of inky blues, gaping black, and endless nonsensical patterns of glimmering wishes breathed into the night air. The moon hung in the heavens, casting its faint glow across the garden, a soft and loving touch sweeping across the plane. The roses were in bloom, joined by the budding narcissus, while morning glories furled their petals in slumber, scattered all around like constellations reflecting the garden above. It was quite a display, an abundant and over-romanticized bouquet of flowers and foliage sweeping through the lush grass in the muted tones of the night, making for a lovely scene.

"Wow…this place is amazing…"Hiccup took in the sight around him, distractedly mirroring Jack's movements.

The other boy chuckled. "Yup…took a whole afternoon just to set up the atmosphere." Hiccup listened to the sound, intertwining with the soft symphony floating from the palace walls and drifting across the evening. It was surprisingly pleasant when it wasn't aimed at him.

The brunet lifted his head and caught the other's gaze, a weird feeling dropping in his stomach. And a warmth. A weird warmth was there too, creeping into his cheeks and an uneasiness settling into his chest. "It's…weird." His hand in Jack's tightened ever-so slightly and his words were breathed out before his mind had the chance to trap them. "My heart's beating really fast."

Jack gulped and wondered if Hiccup knew what he was saying right now. "R-really…" He also wondered if the other boy should be having that sort of effect on him as well. "Uhm…mine too…now that you've mentioned it." He was pretty sure this wasn't normal. All the other guy did was look at him, after all.

"I feel…happy. But…is it really me?" Because Hiccup was sure this wasn't normal—no, not normal at all because he was growing light-headed, slightly nauseous, overwhelmingly dizzy, his breathing came in short, pulsing bursts, and he felt absolutely…_happy_. And he _knew_ this wasn't normal. "Gods…what is going on?"

"I think…we're in a fairy tale." Jack slowed their movements, dancing instead to the leisurely rhythm of the evening winds; it was a good thing this scene took place out in the garden…poor kid looked like he really needed a break. "Okay, let me test this out." He took a breath before shooting the brunet a sharp stare. "In the story of Cinderella, a girl is mistreated by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters and through the help of her Fairy Godmother—"

"Meets her prince and lives happily ever after?" the brunet drawled.

Jack raised a brow. "So you _have_ heard of it?"

"No…just…speculating," Hiccup shrugged. "And let me guess…you think you're her prince?"

There was that damn smirk again. "_Yours_, actually." Because it couldn't be a mere coincidence now.

"Perfect…just perfect." The brunet rolled his eyes, unsurprised by the snicker that followed. Everything the other said matched his situation perfectly and as impossible as it all was, the evidence was mounting steadily. "Well, what do we do? The last time this happened, nothing changed except the setting and characters." And indeed there they were; Jack as the Prince and well…if "Charming" had to be Cinderella's prince, that would make Hiccup the _Princess_, now wouldn't it? "We're still stuck in the same situation."

And Hiccup was right about that; they had followed the fairies' orders and played their part…wait—_fairies_! "Oh, that's right! The Fairy Godmother!" Jack paused; did this version even _have_ one? "Did you ask your—er, her— Fairy Godmother?"

Though the brunet had to be grateful for her kindness, Hiccup couldn't help but scoff. "She was about as helpful as the last batch of fairies…" He could sympathize with the deflated look on the Jack's face; whoever they were dealing with, whoever had done this, they had gone to great lengths to ensure that they'd receive no help from within these tales. But still…they at least made for what sounded like fair advice. "She said that…I'd find my answers here. I'm guessing that's where you come in." Judging from the expectant look in Jack's eyes, the frosty-haired boy was pretty sure Hiccup was holding out on more information; the brunet sighed. "She also said that…my heart's not so different from hers—Cinderella that is." Feeling slightly humiliated for whatever reason, Hiccup cast his gaze to the side and finished with, "And that…once I realize that, I'll find what I want."

Jack shrugged, seemingly unperturbed by the cryptic words; after all, he had received something of that sort not too long ago. "Well, I'm not so sure about that part, but I'm at least a bit more familiar with this fairy tale than the last one." Though, thinking about it a bit more…"Actually…oh wait, so was that last one _Sleeping_ _Beauty_?"

"Wait, you _knew_ about that fairy tale?!"

"Well, sorta?" The older teen chuckled nervously at the irritated look the other shot him. "It's not like I knew which one it was! There are lots of tales with princesses in towers with dragons guarding over them!" He frowned at the very unconvinced glower he received. "And the details of Sleeping Beauty were a bit fuzzy; I'm no fairy tale aficionado." Because _that_ version of the tale was a tad bit different from the one he heard a long time ago.

Again, Hiccup was not so convinced. "And how many of them have to be awakened by a kiss?"

"…I'm guessing quite a few?" Jack could at least name another one at the top of his head.

The brunet groaned. "Oh, that's just great..." He just hoped that wouldn't be his fate…trapped in some fable only to run into Jack _each and every time._

But as the night grew quiet and as did the songs, the skies twinkled so perfectly, and there was an air of wonder and serenity that refused to be broken, it _actually _somewhat made sense. "So…this is a fairy tale," Jack repeated, maybe to reaffirm that fact to himself as well as to Hiccup.

"And every fairy tale has an end…" the brunet added; they didn't keep going, otherwise they would never be retold. At some point, they'd be faced with the possibility of going home—or the chance they'd be lured in another lore all over again.

Jack seemed to follow that very same train of thought. "But when that happens…will we end up in some different story?"

Words of wisdom surfaced from Hiccup's thoughts—the very ones that echoed of warning and calamity. _"Do not deviate from the storyline…"_

"_You must play your part, line by line…"_ Jack followed.

And they were at a loss again. "Maybe…maybe the first time…we did something wrong," Hiccup reasoned. "Maybe that's why we're being forced to start all over." It was a shot in the dark at best, but it was all he had. With little evidence to analyze and relate to the circumstances, it would do for now. "After all, I was already awake when you came into the castle." And who knows? Maybe the time-freezes were an extra safety measure?

The Guardian hummed, steadying the tempo as Hiccup began to stray from the pace again. "So, you're suggesting that we do this right and maybe we might just get home?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking…I mean…whatever is causing this really wants me to play by the book." Hiccup gave a weak chuckle. "I guess talking back to dear old stepmom really wasn't a good idea for Cinderella…"

Jack gave an incredulous laugh and looked the brunet over. "Woah, you actually sassed that crazy old bat?"

"Erm, yes?" Hiccup raised a brow. "Why? Was it that bad?"

Jack scoffed. "She's…well, _evil_. I mean, she named her cat _Lucifer_." The Prince gave a disgusted little shiver; to think that very lady was at the ball tonight. "Ugh, she always did give me the creeps, no matter what version of this story I've heard." He eyed Hiccup's lithe form and guessed that bravery sometimes came in small packages. "That's actually quite impressive…" Or, you know, stupid; whichever one. Though he idly wondered what Hiccup would have actually done if the Lady actually retaliated.

Hiccup gave an indifferent shrug. "I've seen scarier."

And though Hiccup didn't voice it out loud, the testimony to that gave Jack bruises all over his leg. Unsure if it would be seen as an act of comfort or not, Jack gave his fingers a faint squeeze. "Same here; believe me." His thoughts didn't have to wander very far to that event that led to his Guardianship one year ago. But really, he'd rather not travel down that road right now. Jack instead gave an inelegant cough, curtailing the current path his thoughts were headed. "So, were the stepsisters really as mean as the story says?"

"They're annoying and heartless, yeah." There was a slight stab in his chest at the remembrance of the… "wardrobe" incident, but he shouldn't dwell on it now. "But really…they're just puppets to their mother's whims, acting on her anger." Even then, the act was of pure childishness and malice—never a good combination, but it's not like he would have the chance to fight back against it.

"Jealousy too," the frost-haired boy added.

Hiccup blinked. "Jealousy? Jealousy of what?"

There was another cough from the Guardian as he made some arbitrary hand gesture, pausing their waltz ever-so-slightly to do so. "Well…look at you."

Jack was getting used to being subjugated to that dry stare of his. "You just gestured to all of me."*Still, that didn't stop the other boy from accepting Jack's hand as they resumed their dance.

Not exactly the reaction he was going for. "Yeah, I mean, it's not every day a teenage boy in drag catches the prince's eye," the older teen retorted.

Hiccup raised a brow. "I'm sure something like that would catch anyone's eye." Reassessing the other's words, he then added, "And if that was supposed to be a compliment, it was poorly constructed."

Jack didn't seem to be fazed at all by the slight jab. In fact, he seemed rather amused. "Talk all you want, but you're still very pretty despite your ugly words."

Hiccup balked, stuttering mid-step. "I don't even know how to take that."

There was a smug chuckle that followed as the Guardian gave a light-hearted shrug. "It was a statement; take it as it is." He gave the little _princess_ a twirl—or rather, attempted to do so, laughing as the guy tripped over his own feet at the sudden movement.

The brunet glared as Jack steadied their form once more, back again to closed position. "For such ugly words, you seem to enjoy them."

"Maybe that's because _you_ seem to enjoy speaking them?" He gave the Viking a dubiously pleasant smile.

Hiccup raised a brow. "And why would that matter to you?"

"Because, despite your mouthiness," Jack started, minding his tongue by the flat stare he was receiving from the brunet, "You're a lot more relaxed…and surprisingly agreeable when you're allowed your little wordplay." The brunet hummed in agreement; he knew that as a fact at least. However, he was slightly more uneasy at how Jack suddenly wouldn't look him in the eye as he continued with, "Comes in handy when I have to tell you things you probably don't want to hear."

And that was _definitely _something Hiccup didn't want to hear. "_Like_?"

Jack cringed. "Well…for starters…we _kinda_…have to get married."

The brunet opened his mouth, but at that point there really was no proper response to something like that. He made a strangled sort of noise and was pretty sure that the face he was making at that moment was one of abject horror. "_That's_—!" Oh yes, there was no real _proper_ response, but given the situation, there was at least an indignant and appalled response he could give. But he looked to the other again and sucked in a breath. He felt slightly guilty at the sheepish look on his face. Right, well it wasn't exactly Jack's fault. He looked back to the boy, the boy in the same position he was in and the boy just as eager to get home, and sighed. "That's an awfully huge step to take after one night."

Jack kept his mouth shut; if this failed, he didn't exactly want to enlighten the brunet that _all_ fairy tales ended like that. So instead, he continued on to say, "Beats tying the knot with any of those peacocks…" And…maybe he didn't quite think his words through before saying that out loud. He let out another dismissive cough before settling on another topic. "Besides, it's '_love-at-first-sight'_. What are you gonna do?"

"Actually get to know that person first?" Hiccup offered, minding his prosthetic as it bumped against Jack's leg.

"True enough." The older teen slowed to a more leisurely tempo, still keeping time, but in more shuffling movements. They stayed like that for some time, waltzing to a tuneless song breathed from starry skies and bedtime romances. "Still…I guess some things are still meant to be," he murmured, somewhat lost and dazed to the magic mingling with the moonlight.

He swore his heart skipped a few beats when mystified green eyes met his. "You're still holding me."

It wasn't followed by narrowing eyes or dubious glances. The silence that followed wasn't exactly stifling or uncomfortable either. It was just a subtle realization, a faint outline beneath the haze of the enchanting atmosphere, the hesitancy in his thoughts contrasting with the natural flow of his actions. It was strange—but it did not feel so—that there was something underlying their fated encounter, something budding and blossoming with every beat to that silent melody. He knew what writers, poets, and bards would deem it. He just didn't want to freak Hiccup out by saying its name out loud. Not when Jack was sure that feeling wasn't theirs to begin with.

So the Guardian wouldn't concentrate on it now. "…and you talking usually prevents you from noticing things like that." He gave a chuckle as the younger teen shot him a bland look; neither of them pulled away or broke the clumsy rhythm. "Surprisingly enough…you haven't stepped on my feet or kicked me in a while," the Guardian noted not without a demeaning flake of praise added to his words.

The brunet rolled his eyes, metaphorically stomping on the urge to do just that on Jack's heavily-bruised foot. "I'm still surprised I haven't broken the glass shoe."

"Oh, right...How is wearing that thing anyways?" Jack was always curious about that little bit; why glass and how does anyone (including this guy right here) walk, let alone _dance_ with one of those things on?

At that, Hiccup gave a sardonic laugh. "Uncomfortable and frightening; I've already lost one foot so I don't really wanna risk it with this one."

The brunet was almost touched at the look of concern that flitted across Jack's face. "You…okay?" Their movements almost halted right then, but Hiccup managed to urge their dance on.

"Huh? Oh yeah…it's just that…" And he trailed off; his feet weren't really aching. Well, okay, they were but only when Jack brought up the question. He hadn't really minded the alien ache…more important facets were in his mind about this moment. Like the little bit where his brain absentmindedly pointed out the fact that: "We're still swaying…" Hiccup was quite sure he reddened at the rather weak observation.

If that didn't make matters worse, Prince Charming decided to pull the startled brunet flush against him. "Shh. It's called slow-dancing."

A struggle right then _probably_ would have ensued in some very unwanted results, so rather than fighting against the awkward, draining, tiring, but delighted feeling coursing through his veins, the Viking sighed."And…how long are we supposed to do this?" Hiccup refused to acknowledge the mere existence of that whine that came out of his mouth.

"'Til midnight?" Jack gave a nervous sort of laugh that he hoped didn't sound too choked; quick thinking and underdeveloped ideas led to this off position, but Jack was rather glad that at least like this, Hiccup couldn't see his flushed face.

"Oh. Right," the brunet grumbled.

And their waltz continued on.

.

"Well, there's that damn clock tower." Hiccup sighed and tore his eyes away from the glittering night sky and the magnificent scenery from the veranda; he wouldn't dare voice it out loud…but it was nice. Talking like this, that is. He looked to Jack and almost snickered at the transparent disappointment on his face; the guy was actually decent to talk to…Hiccup shrugged off the thought. "When Cinderella becomes queen, I'd understand if she wants that thing demolished."

The "Prince" smirked. "Plans for the future already?" With a hand on the younger teen's back, Jack guided him back towards the palace. It was amusing, mostly because Hiccup would hasten to get away from the strange touch.

The brunet huffed. "Of course; you basically proposed anyways," he pointedly remarked. He gave a grin and honestly noted, "Very unromantic by the way; you should work on it."

There was an expected laugh and Hiccup felt his face heat up ever so slightly; good to know his humor was well-appreciated. "Well, let's just hope we make it out of here before you're expected to pop out any heirs." Too bad Hiccup couldn't say the same about Jack's.

Was it even possible to blanch and blush at the same time? Hiccup shook his head with an agonizing groan. "Oh Gods, _please_ don't even joke about that."

"Hah. If only," the Guardian snorted. "The old man set this whole thing up just for the grandkids." They were by the balcony now, where they had first seen each other; the curtain was still in place, no doubt for privacy…not that…theyreally needed it or anything. Jack coughed, and Hiccup wondered if the other was catching a cold or something. "You know, you're a lot more receptive to this whole idea…" Hiccup looked back to him and it suddenly occurred to Jack that it had been hours since the brunet had fought against or shown displeasure at his presence. "Of…well, you know, us." And whether Jack realized it or not, regardless of how Hiccup reacted, not once did his touch ever leave the young Viking.

"Well, I suppose we aren't strangers anymore." Hiccup shrugged as he offered Jack his most honest reply. "We're sort of accomplices now." The kind of honest reply he was most comfortable giving anyways.

The Prince accepted it with dry concurrence. "True enough."

Hiccup stared back at the curtain, the commotion and chaos kept at bay, separating their little tale from the rest of the world. And with how the moon gleamed and stars twinkled and the night air sang softly in their ears as they slowly waltzed through the evening in clumsy steps and loud banter or during the more entrancing interludes of the night where the talking stopped altogether and it was only the small, trepid little steps of an unfocused dance in time with their heartbeats…it was all enough to know that for Cinderella, she had found what she was looking for. Hiccup hoped that sooner than later, he'd find his as well.

There was another resounding _BONG_, tiny little trembles sending goosebumps across his skin; Hiccup tried to ignore it. He was getting better at that. "Well, time to get going," he attempted to say with resolution…but he didn't dare turn around to face Jack. Because that feeling was back again and it settled there, heavily in his chest, aching in tempo with the beat of his heart; it was ridiculous to his rational mind. Jack had promised to meet him again because wasn't that how all fairy tales went? But it was a bittersweet ache that gripped him so, because for Cinderella, even if her Prince was only hers for a night, she told herself that it was enough. "It…was err…nice meeting you again?"

The brunet took a chance and was greeted with warm blue eyes and a grin, half-hearted and half-reluctant. "Hah. Likewise. Would've been better under different circumstances, though."

And with all these confusing emotions and conflicting thoughts roiling and colliding in his mind like natural disasters, Hiccup couldn't help but agree. "Definitely."

.

"Mademoiselle! Just a moment!" the Grand Duke gasped as he flailed after the agile woman as she nimbly raced down the stairs. "Guards! Guards!" he rasped, his voice drowned out by the thunderous boom of the clock tower.

Amid the ruckus something glittered in the palace lights, left in the lady's wake as she hastened to the entrance without ever looking back.

"Stop the coach!" the man barked. "Close those gates!" But was already too late.

She slipped into the night, as mysterious as she came, she went without another word. The Grand Duke gave a heavy sigh. He descended the steps to where the object laid and gingerly plucked it from its spot. The glass slipper glimmered in elegant clarity, yet obscure in its purpose.

.

For Hiccup, the ride back to the chateau was…interesting to say the least; he knew he said that prison would have been a better alternative, but that didn't exactly mean he was grateful for the attempt at incarceration displayed back there. Pumpkin-carriage a pumpkin once more and his little friends back to their original forms, Hiccup couldn't help but sigh in both relief and wistfulness. Still, it was good that they made it out safe and sound. Honestly, what was someone supposed to think with all those guards sent after him? _That _would have scared any potential lovers away.

The brunet was pulled from his thoughts as Toothless, a hatchling once more, crooned into his torn skirt with a fatigued melody. He gave the dragon an affectionate scratch under his chin and grinned when the reptile went boneless under his touch. "Ah…sorry, bud. Kinda lost track of time." He frowned at the lost opportunity, but Toothless would always be Toothless to him—no matter what form. "He gave an affectionate pat to the slumbering dragon and turned to the rest of his little entourage. "You're all pretty tired, huh?"

He knew he should've felt just a little bad for making them wait…and for making them speed out of the castle grounds like fugitives with a bounty over their heads, but judging from their happy faces, the night was well worth it.

Quietly to himself, Hiccup admitted, "It…wasn't…as bad as I thought it was." And it really wasn't; Jack proved himself to be…an _okay_ guy. Mostly okay. It was still weird how the other guy refused to let no more than three feet come between them. But it was still nice. _He_ was still sort of nice. And he wasn't just saying that because his heart (or was it Cinderella's?) jumped at the recent memory. Nope, definitely not. Hiccup allowed that thought to disperse altogether and cast his gaze towards the beaming lights of the castle. He smiled, but despite the absurdity of it all, "I hope…I hope she had a nice time," he confessed.

"Cinderelly, look, look, look! No slipper!" Hiccup was wrenched from his thoughts as Jaq animatedly pointed to his bare right foot.

After a second of inspection, Gus echoed, "Yeah, no slipper!"

Oh, so that's why he was able to get away so quickly. "Huh… I guess it must've slipped off while I was running…" He rubbed the reddened skin and aching bones, wincing as he came to this conclusion: he was not meant to wear heels. "Ugh, honestly, that's possibly the worst thing you could do to a guy with only one foot," he groused. He wondered what kind of women would subject themselves to this type of discomfort—all in the name of what? Oh…that's right.

Honestly. The things people did for love.

.

Jack guessed he shouldn't have been too shocked at the scene before him: his supposed "father," once again outraged, at the Grand Duke; what he didn't expect to see was the portly man swinging around a rather formidable sword around, gleaming blade thirsty for blood.

Jack cringed as the royal bellowed, "_SABOTAGE_! You were in league with the prince all along!"

Grand Duke ducked and dodged for cover, desperately trying to get the man to see reason. "I tried to stop her b-b-but she vanished into thin air!"

"_A LIKELY STORY_!" the man howled, ornate sword aimed with deadly fury at the poor noble.

Grand Duke scurried out of the weapon's range, crying out, "But it's true, Sire! All we could find was this glass slipper!" He feebly held out the glittering object, hoping that such a precious piece of evidence would protect him from the royal's wrath.

Blinded and deafened with fury, the King snatched the slipper from the Duke's offending hands and zeroed in for the killing blow. "_THE WHOLE THING WAS A PLOT_!"

And Jack supposed right now would be a good time to stop before there was a bloody mess to clean up; he never considered Cinderella to be a sinister tale and he wasn't about to start right now. "No!" The Grand Duke breathed a noticeable sigh of relief as the King fumbled with the sword in a moot attempt to hide it from his son. "I…I mean…it's true, father. H-_She_ stole my heart and fled into the night. I haven't been able to find her." Man, it was weird calling referring to Hiccup as a 'she.' It was a bit difficult to say that out loud, but for this tale to go according to plan and for both of them to have their shot at getting home, Jack adorned a resolute expression over his face as he said, "But I won't rest until I do." And when the royal seemed just the tiniest bit unmoved, Jack swallowed the awkwardness that came with saying the next few words: "Father…I plan to marry hi—_ her._"

"M-_marry_?" the royal gasped.

Even the Grand Duke was astounded at his confession. "'Marry', Your Highness?"

Jack coughed, awkwardly, hoping that his red face conveyed sincerity more than any more apparent discomfiture. "Yes," he affirmed. And just for the extra dramatic flair, he added with a bit more force: "I love her."

Tantrum placated, the King bounced up in glee. "Then that settles it!" He shoved the fragile footwear into the noble's hands. "You'll try this on every maid in my kingdom! And if the shoe fits, bring her in!"

Jack gawked. "What?"

"S-sire?" the noble squeaked, questioning the man's sanity once more.

"Well, we certainly don't know her name or where she lives, and the only clue we have of her is this shoe," the man reasoned.

"But Sire, it could fit any number of girls in the kingdom!" the Duke argued.

"Yeah! And despite what he—_she_ may tell you later on, I am _not_ delusional! I don't need a shoe to find her! I think I would recognize who I was dancing with the whole night!" Jack countered.

The King gave a delighted nod. "Excellent! Then _you_ can join the Grand Duke as he visits each and every maiden to confirm from the likely candidates of who fits this shoe!" With a great degree of difficulty, he gave a forceful and happy clap to his son's shoulder. "The wedding will commence once you do!" With a jaunty stride, the King walked off from his bedroom and down the hall, not caring that he would be seen by all the palace staff in his nightdress. "My son's getting _married_!" the joyous cry echoed.

'"Each and every'…" Jack paled; the herald wasn't even finished with a _quarter _of the list of women at the ball before Hiccup showed up and saved him. He looked at the slipper in the Duke's hands and gulped. He gave a sheepish grin to the noble and slowly backed away. "…now did I say _marry_?" he laughed with a certain amount of fear.

The Grand Duke gave a weary sigh at the Prince but the stern look in his eyes told Jack that if the man had to suffer to find Jack _his_ bride, then Jack would too.

Besides, wasn't that what love was about?

.

After last night's turn of events and the sudden reversal of fortune that came this morning, Lady Tremaine was in no mood for any sort of error to further exacerbate her mounting anxiety levels. "Cinderella! _Cinderella_!? Oh where is that—"

"Yeah?" Hiccup sighed, decked once more in his servant's attire; though he had to admit, at least the shoe was much more comfortable. He stepped through the doorway, finding it hard to keep the boredom and ire from his voice. "What is it?"

"Oh my daughters! Where are they?" she demanded.

Hiccup had to note the possessive pronoun in there. '_My _daughters._' _Because Cinderella was definitely not one of them. The brunet shrugged. "Probably sleeping."

The Lady huffed and gave a sneer at the Viking as though it were his fault. "Oh, well don't just stand there! Bring up the breakfast trays at once. And hurry!"

Jaq watched from the corner, away from the woman's gaze as the Lady strode to bedrooms. "Wonder what's the matter…"

"Uh, duh, what's the matter with her?" Gus parroted.

The lead mouse shook his head. "I don't know. Let's find out. Come on."

It wasn't hard to locate the Stepmother as angry and urgent calls of "Drizella! _Drizella_!" floated down the halls.

The brunette stepsister yawned as she lazily roused from slumber. "Whaaat?" she inelegantly groaned.

"Get up! Quick! This instant! We haven't a moment to lose!" the Lady commanded. The young woman only watched with sleepy confusion as her normally cold and stoic mother fussed about, leaving her room towards the next door.

The redheaded sister wasn't safe from this strange display of frenetic behavior either. "Anastasia? Anastasia! Get up! Anastasia!" After a second of silence from her daughter, the Lady quietly seethed. With an irritated frown, the woman drew the curtains to flood in the morning light.

Anastasia winced at the intruding flash of radiance as she turned over and buried her head in her pillow. "Huh? _Ohhh_ what for? Why?"

"Oh, everyone's talking about it— the whole kingdom!" the Lady exclaimed; the girls should have been very worried or very excited at this point. This behavior was certainly unbecoming of their mother. "Oh hurry now! He'll be here any minute!" the woman urged.

Drizella, who had followed her mother out of worry but was subsequently overwhelmed by her dire need to continue to sleep, settled beside her sister on the mattress. "Who will?" she asked, purely out of respect for her dear old mother…and due to the fact that if the Lady kept talking, she might end up taking a few more seconds of precious rest.

"The Grand Duke," Lady Tremaine elaborated. "He's been hunting all night."

"Hunting?" Anastasia grumbled, befuddlement written across her slurred and sleepy voice.

The Stepmother sighed and forced out the explanation in a way that she hoped her daughters would understand. "For that _girl_, the one who lost her slipper at the ball last night," she grounded out. "They say he's _madly_ in love with her."

Hiccup just so happened to walk in that very moment, starting at the news; so he _was_ being hounded down like a fugitive.

Drizella's head popped out of the pillow. "The Duke is?" At that, Hiccup paled; he _really _hoped there wasn't some other noble chasing after him…no, one irritating, frosty-haired boy was enough.

"No, no, no the _Prince_!" the Stepmother hissed.

Hiccup choked. "The _Prince_?" And sure, on the outside, he was quite _surprised_ by the news of the kingdom's prince smitten after just a night of meeting with a fair and mysterious lady, but on the _inside_ there was a terrible little rant in his head that screamed in mortification, '_Oh Gods, he had to say it like _that!?_'_ Because…even if it _was _a lie, that was a _huge _and _horrendous_ lie if Hiccup had ever heard one. _Madly in lo—_who says their 'madly in love' after one meeting?!

There was the sound of porcelain breaking and Hiccup suddenly found his hands empty; funny…he was sure he was holding something earlier. The Lady of the house shot him a chilling glare. "You clumsy little fool! Clean that up. Then help my daughters dress."

"What for?" Drizella grumbled, settling back into the comfortable covers.

"If he's in love with that girl why should we even bother?" Anastasia added, joining her sister.

"Now you two listen to me!" their mother hissed, wrenching the covers away. "There is still a chance that one of you can get him." Her words echoed darkly, a ploy forming in her calculating mind.

The two sisters looked to one another, the smallest trickles of hope intertwining among the tangles of puzzlement. "Huh? One of us? Why Mother, what do you mean?"

"Just this: no one, not even the Prince, knows who that girl is."

Hiccup scoffed; right. Of _course_ no one would know who that _girl_ is. Especially since _he_ wasn't even a girl. Still…how insulting. An entire night of dancing and the guy refusing to let go of him and he couldn't even bother to find out where she lived? Of course…he couldn't really blame Jack (though he kind of wanted to) since according to the frosty-haired boy, this was all part of the storyline. No, he supposed that ire should be aimed towards Prince Charming, so easily swept away by love at first sight that he forgot that the first sight eventually gives away and passes by like another moment in time…

No, falling in love was easy…staying in love and loving someone—that was hard. But still, Hiccup had to hand it to him…the man was at least ambitious. And quite forward.

At the mention of the night's adventures and the new information regarding a rather familiar mystery-woman, Gus proudly proclaimed, "We do! We do! Cinderelly! Cinderell—" Thankfully, Jaq closed his mouth in time, just as the Lady of the house turned their way.

Lady Tremaine glared at the bright morn, refusing to let her dream die; this was her daughters' last chance as well as hers. "The glass slipper is their only clue. Now the Duke has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom. And if one can be found whom the slipper fits, then, by King's command that girl shall be the prince's bride."

"Using a shoe…to find," the brunet bit his lip, is silently chuckling at the absurdity of it all. "His _bride_?" He was right…Jack was delusional.

"His _bride_!" the sister gasped.

"Cinderella! Get my things!" Drizella barked, scrambling out of the bed.

Anastasia followed after her, shoving a pile of dresses into Hiccup's empty hands. "Never mind her! Mend these right away!"

"Not until she irons my dress!" the brunette demanded.

And really—it _was_ funny in a way. Funny and just a tad bit pathetic. A man can't bother to remember his future bride's face and yet entrusts a shoe that could fit _any_ number of women in this kingdom…to guide his way to her. Hiccup snickered. Yes, ambitious as the Prince was, this plan had far too many holes for him to appreciate. Sure a shoe could prove to be more honest than any number of females willing to outright lie and parade about living said lie for the rest of their life all in the name of power and wealth…but _really_? A _shoe_? Hiccup should have lost his prosthetic; that would have definitely made things a lot easier for the poor noble entrusted with this task. And at that thought, his shoulders began to tremble and the slightest sounds of amusement danced past his lips.

A little more than miffed at the offending sound from her stepsister, Anastasia frowned. "What's the matter with her?"

Drizella scowled. "Wake up, stupid!"

"We've got to get dressed!" the redhead insisted.

"Oh yeah…right. Sorry, excuse me for a second…" He shook his head and, in pondering the irrationality of the situation, handed back the cluster of clothes to a bewildered sister—_again_ he never really bothered to learn their name—and stalked off, not knowing he had unintentionally laughed right in Drizella's face.

"Mother! Did you see what she did?"

"Are you going to let her walk—"

"_Quiet_!" the Lady hissed. Chilling green eyes narrowed as the boy walked off, faintly muttering to himself and _laughing_, the noise itself like a sickening melody, a little waltz of missteps that flourished despite her precautions and _years_ of teaching the little brat her place. And _she_ would not ruin all those lessons in discipline she had so kindly instilled upon her _step_daughter. Without another word, the Lady stepped out of the bedroom, eyes still trained on the brunet as he took the wing to his chambers.

She trailed after the boy, moving quietly among the shadows, ears picking up tidbits of self-musings. "Gods…my _shoe_? He's out there trying to find me through my _shoe_?"

It could have been fear; it could have been fear that trickled down her veins, fear that all had been for naught just because that little _thorn_ in her side had decided to once again bloom to noxious belladonnas, ruining and tainting the future she had so painstakingly built for her two daughters. No, _this time_…this time the little tramp was _not_ snaring their futures and happiness away.

Especially _hers._

"Ridiculous…that's the last time I '_leave it to_ _him'_ to find me again…" Hiccup groused as he passed through the threshold to Cinderella's room.

The mice crept by, casting worried glances at the Lady. "What's she gonna do?" Gus murmured as the woman walked ever-so-silently behind their brunet friend.

Jaq felt that same panic build, but if he gave away their position right now, it would mean trouble for all three of them. "Shhh. I don't know. Gotta watch her. Come on!" he rushed, tiny feet carrying him towards the doorway.

Their eyes widened not a second later. "Cinderelly, Cinderelly!" the mice frantically called, watching with horror as Lady Tremaine drew a key from her pocket and walked grimly to the door.

"Why didn't he just let me tell him the address again?" Hiccup rambled. He sighed, seeming to convince his reflection on the dresser. "Oh right…he wanted this done _the right way_…Well I guess I should wait for the dashing prince…or whatever I should do."

"Look out! Look out! Behind you! Behind you!" they cried.

By the time the voices reached his ears and an impulsive "What?" fled from his mouth, he caught it just then—a glimpse of the sneering face behind his reflection and if he almost didn't have a heart attack upon seeing it, the thundering crash of the door would have nearly sufficed as well. Thankfully, Hiccup knew very well how to force a scream down with irony. "Oh—what, _seriously?_" He strode to the door and beat his fists against the wood. "Okay Lady, you've got some _serious_ issues here," he gave a frustrated kick to the door, grumbling with exasperation as the wood rattled, but the hinges stayed bolted. "You can't just lock me up and think that something like this is enough to get one of your creepy daughters engaged!" He gave another knock, a fair amount of desperation seeping into his words. "I know you can hear me! He _will_ know it's not them! The Prince is _not_ as stupid as he looks!" And then Hiccup had to pause and rethink that for a second due to the whole "shoe" thing; the brunet sighed and murmured to himself, "At least…I _hope_ so."

.

A mother always placed her children above herself; that what being a mother was about. To see her children thrive in the world, to see them in happiness and success…and perhaps to reap the benefits in their old age and live comfortably as well. But being a mother meant _sacrifices _and learning patience, to love her children above all else and to do her absolute best for their interest. Above all, Lady Tremaine _was_ a mother and just like any mother, she'd do _anything_ to ensure at least one daughter's happiness.

But again…the benefits aren't bad either.

The Lady gave a stern frown at her excitable girls; as awkward as they were, they were her own and she'd be _damned _if she didn't have her way. "_Girls_! Now remember. This is your last chance. _Don't_ fail me." Because yes…this was for _their _benefit above all else.

She opened the door, the Royal Postman coming through, to regally declare, "Announcing His Imperial Grace, the Grand Duke." The aforementioned man, though looking quite less graceful and imperial, strode into the manor, his lack of sleep still unable to overshadow some of that noble air.

"You honor our humble home," the Lady greeted with a curtsy.

"Ahem, quite so," the man replied with little enthusiasm, a natural product of little sleep and little direction to go about this messy situation…plus, a _certain_ passenger proved too stubborn to come along to each house. Well…after the first fiasco that resulted from his presence, it certainly proved to be quite challenging, but still!—it was _his_ future bride on the line so the least that future monarch could do was—

"May I present my daughters, Drizella... and Anastasia." The Duke shook off his initial startle at the sudden reminder of his task at hand. The Lady graciously directed him to two of the most ungracious women he had ever seen.

"Your Grace," Anastasia bowed, fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly. Though, on her it looked quite disturbing.

Grand Duke gulped and tried not to seem too…disturbed. "Oh yes. Charmed I'm sure," the man muttered.

The Royal Postman, by now quite versed in his role, formally addressed, "His Grace will read the royal proclamation."

What the noble wouldn't give to sigh; the urge to resist such offending behavior was crumbling. "Ahem," he started, hand unrolling the official parchment, "All loyal subjects of His Imperial Majesty are hereby notified by royal proclamation in regard to a certain glass," and really…it was too early in the morning to start their little trek across the kingdom and he had been to _so _many houses and saw some of the most _horrible _set of feet imaginable. So forgive the man for yawning as the fatigue began to overwhelm him. "Slipper. It is upon this day decreed—"

Drizella interrupted him with a glad shout of, "Why, that's _my_ slipper!"

Anastasia, not to be outdone, angrily countered, "I-It's my slipper!"

And Gus, not to be outdone by either lies, squeaked out, "No, no, no! Cinderelly's slipper! Cinderell—" Again, Jaq managed to stop his chatty friend just in time.

Drizella huffed. "How can she stand there and deliberately say things like that?" she cried with an indignant jab at her younger sister.

"Girls, girls! Your manners!" the Lady chided. Though in retrospect, that might've been a conniving idea, it was poorly executed and would have to be remedied quickly in order for the Duke to be convinced that one of her daughters is the woman he's looking for. "A thousand pardons, Your Grace. Please continue."

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, though it certainly wasn't the first time he'd heard _that _little outburst before, he continued. "Yes quite so. Uh, uh, oh yes. It is upon this day decreed that a quest be instituted throughout the length and breadth of our domain the sole and express purpose of said quest to be as follows to wit. That every single maiden in our beloved kingdom without privilege or exception shall try upon her foot this aforementioned slipper of glass and should one be found upon whose foot said slipper shall properly fit—"And amid the droning and the official terms and conditions, Jaq and Gus quietly slipped into the scene, trying to pick the key from the Stepmother's pocket. "—such maiden shall be acclaimed the object of this search and immediately forthwith shall be looked upon as the one and only true love of His Royal Highness, our beloved son and heir…"

Oh dear, was that a _yawn _that just slipped out of his mouth? Stifling the reflex, the Duke continued, "The noble prince. Said noble prince will humbly and upon bended knee beg request or if need be implore said maiden that they may grant her hand in marriage. Whereupon, should the aforementioned maiden look with favor upon his suit then shall the happy couple pledge their troth yawning and in due course upon the inevitable demise of His Most Gracious and August Majesty, the King succeed to the throne to rule over all the land as King and Queen of our beloved kingdom," he paused for a breath and closed the document. "And, so be it."

And somehow, through the official speech, Gus managed to find himself within a teacup, looking quite fearfully at a piping-hot kettle raised above him. "You must be quite fatigued, Your Grace. May we offer you some tea?"

"Hmmm? What? Eh, tea?" The little mouse picked up the breathy yawn that followed and prayed the end would be quick. "Thank you Madam, no. Uh. We must proceed with the, uh, the fitting." Gus thanked the stars as the kettle was put away.

The Stepmother nodded. "Of course. Anastasia, dear," she beckoned.

The redhead sat down and lifted her foot for the servant to attire. Surprisingly—it appeared to fit! "There! I knew it was my slipper. Exactly my size. I always wear the same size. As soon as I saw it, I said—" Well…_appeared,_ and appearances can prove to be deceiving. After all, once the fringe of her dress slid down, it revealed the slipper dangling well below her heel. Anastasia gave a sheepish grin and a hasty, ill-formed explanation. "Oh well it may be a _trifle_ loose today. You know how it is—dancing all night! The amount of heat and, and pressure is _bound_ to cause the glass to erm…stretch just a bit! I can't understand why. It's always fit perfectly before!" And when even the servant didn't seem to believe her, she lashed out, "I don't think you're half trying. Mother, can you—"

"Shhh," her mother soothed. "Quiet, my dear. We mustn't disturb His Grace." Unsurprisingly, the noble succumbed to his sleep-deprivation and was slovenly snoring in his seat. That, at least, would buy her some time to think of some way to get that idiot royal betrothed to one of her daughters. "Young man, are you sure you're trying it on the right foot?" she asked patiently.

"Oh it's in the right foot but it must have shrunk or something. A glass shoe isn't always reliable," the woman babbled, providing just the right amount of chatter to distract her plotting mother as the daring duo of mice reached in and lifted the key from the woman's pocket.

Jaq breathed a sigh of relief but restrained himself. "Sh, sh, sh! Come on Gus-Gus. Hurry up the stairs. Up the stairs! Quick-quick!" The little rodents scurried away, hauled away their precious cargo towards the long and rigorous path. The metal was heavy, the mice were small, and the steps were plenty. But they'd do it. For their Cinderelly.

That, too, was love.

.

"Why can't you hold still a minute?" the redhead argued, looking quite ready to clobber the poor man out of frustration. Well…in fact, she did.

Which consequently roused the Grand Duke from fitful rest at the sight of disarray and unladylike character. "Oh my word! Enough of this!" He snatched the slipper from the woman's grasp, visibly relieved at the pristine condition the fragile glass still upheld. "The next young lady, please?" And as he said these words, the Duke _prayed_ this torture would be over soon.

Upon hearing the man's words, Jaq doubled his efforts. "Hear that Gus? Hear that?"

"Yup," the robust mouse confirmed as they lifted the weighty metal through the manor's copious steps to the highest room; they hadn't a moment to lose.

"Quick, quick. Gotta hurry! Come on. Come on! Hurry!" the lead mouse urged. Because this was for Cinderelly, his best friend and the most wonderful person he had ever known; because she deserved this and she deserved to have more than just a chance of finding happiness. "Gus-Gus! Gus-Gus! Oh come on. Look, look. Just up there. Come on! Us a-coming Cinderelly! Us a-coming. Us can get you out!" She _deserved_ happiness.

.

"Toothless," Hiccup groaned, lifting the head of scaly black. "Toothless, c'mon bud…I know you're tired from last night but you gotta help me out…Bud? Bud, c'mon please…" He sighed when the worn dragon crooned for a moment, his eyes opening for just a hint of toxic green to appear before his best friend once again sunk back into the waves of dreams. Hiccup groaned in frustration; he knew that the transformation would take a lot out of Toothless—Major, the mare, had undergone the same lethargy when Hiccup fed him that morning—but _really_?! Of all the times…the brunet sighed. Why…why must there always be such close calls? Fate seemed to give her sardonic reply as familiar squeaks and cries sounded from beyond the door. Hurrying to the blasted piece of wood, Hiccup made out the gist of the high-pitched commotion and flopped down in relief. "You've got the key? That's incredible! How did you guys pull it off?" From the keyhole, Hiccup spied his little saviors.

Gus hastened as he was passed the key to slide the key under the door "We-a comin' Cinderell—!" and his whole world went black.

Hiccup growled out in frustration at the familiar sight of that catty smile and the cup trapping his little friend beneath those pudgy paws. "_Lucifer_! Let him go! Lucifer, I'm warning you—this is the last straw! _Lucifer_!"

"Let him go! Let him out! Here, here, Lucifee!" Jaq cried, and even as he gathered the other mice and birds try to help, they were easily overpowered by the oversized feline.

Hiccup…really hated that cat. From the very beginning, he should've let Toothless—_oh, right_! "Bud!" Turning to the door, he called out, "Jaq, listen to me! Get the others out of there; I have an idea!" The groggy Night Fury perked an ear as Hiccup scurried to his side. "Toothless, c'mon…I know I said you couldn't before…" And Hiccup _knew _this was categorized in all sorts of wrongs, but if there was anything he knew about young dragons…it was that they were easily enticed by a great reward system. "But how about trying out cat meat?"

A single eye fluttered open and Hiccup could only hope Toothless didn't take that last part too seriously.

.

Drizella huffed as she failed to fit the slipper; _big_ surprise there… "Oh of all the stupid little idiots! I'll do it myself! Get away from me! I'll _make_ it fit!" In another display of some _very _unladylike behavior, she grabbed the slipper from the servant's hand and vainly tried to fill the gaps by spreading her toes. "_There_!" she cried, walking forward with great difficulty to keep the slipper on.

"It fits!" the Lady exclaimed.

"It _fits_?" the Grand Duke gasped with horror. Proudly, the brunette strode forward—and in doing so, sent the slipper flying after a rather powerful swing of her leg. Sputtering in terror, the noble dove for the fragile glass, literally seeing his life flash before the reflective surface of the footwear.

Though sorely disappointed (yet again) and wistfully accepting, the Lady at least kept her air of dignity as she apologized. "Oh Your Grace, I'm dreadfully sorry…it shan't happen again." She knew that their last hope had failed yet again.

"Precisely Madam!" the noble huffed.

.

Dragon literally locked and loaded, Hiccup wasn't quite sure how powerful a young Night Fury's attack would be… but he hoped that it would at least be enough to knock down that door and give that little demon what he _really _deserved. "Okay…he's right through that door…Now, bud! _Plasma blast_!"

What happened next was nothing short of a miniature explosion, a clumsy release of power and sheer pressure added to the blow, compressing the fire to that of its familiar violet form. It was rather fascinating for Hiccup to note that although Night Furies seemed to have more or less the same amount of damage behind their flames, they happened to lack the proper control…

Evident through the burning carnage of the hall around them.

But he really had no time for that; he fled down the stairs, not even bothering to look for any…cat-sized piles of ash lying about.

Jaq, eternally grateful that the teacup Lucifer had used to trap Gus was still intact, lifted the china and compelled to his friend, "Come on, come on! Get up, Gus-Gus! Get up!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" the larger mouse cried; he didn't know what happened earlier, but from the way the earth shook and the blood-curdling feline yowl, Gus was quite sure he _didn't_ want to know what just happened.

Jaq shook his head and made a grab for the other mouse's arm, little flames still licking away at the wood of the floors and walls. "No Gus-Gus, fire very bad!"

Toothless, amid the catastrophe, sat back with a content grin. Ah…what a time it was for a nice, long, nap.

.

"You are the only ladies of the household, I hope—uh, I presume?" the Grand Duke inquired, straightening himself after that faux pas.

"There's no one else, Your Grace," the Stepmother assured because while her daughters undoubtedly failed her yet again, at least there was a personal victory that she could take solace in. The little _brat _was still in her clutches and after this, she'd teach the little wench what it means to disobey her and steal what rightfully belonged to her daughters.

The man hastily nodded and adjusted his monocle; he didn't want to seem _too_ eager to leave…but alas, there were many-a-homes left to interrogate—err inspect for the Prince's betrothed. "Quite so. Good day, good day," the man bid, making his way to the door.

The manor nearly shook at what sounded like a fiery explosion.

Smoke billowed from the upstairs as Hiccup raced down the steps, coughing out, "'_No one else' my a_—oh forget it," the Viking groaned. "Your Grace!" He leaped down the steps of the staircase, startling every occupant in the foyer. He stopped before the lanky noble, clearing his throat and tried to look a bit more presentable. Nevertheless, his first words to him were, "Against what _she_ says, I'm allowed to try, aren't I?" he drawled with a thumb jerked at the Lady's direction.

The Stepmother was at her side that instant, drawing distance between the brunet and the Duke. "Oh pay no attention to her."

"It's only Cinderella—," Anastasia insisted.

"Our scullery maid..." Drizella added.

"—It's ridiculous, impossible!"

"...from the _kitchen._"

"Sh-she's out of her mind!"

"Yes just an _imaginative_ child," Lady Tremaine emphasized. Hiccup threw her a hard glare and was more than surprised to see the Duke brush past her and come to his side.

"Madam, my orders were _every_ maiden," he announced with finality; and sure…maybe there was something about these women that he just didn't like. Honestly…outright_ lying_ to him like that! He looked to the young brunet and gently reassured the…familiar face. "Come my child," he said kindly, as he motioned to the chair.

But of course, Hiccup should have seen it coming miles away…but even then, it somehow never ceased to amaze him the lengths some people would dare approach, what cruelty they were willing to commit, all in the name of spite. He watched with disbelief and a little bit of awe as the Lady tripped the Duke's servant carrying the glass slipper, and watched the scene with a sense of inevitability as the Duke vainly attempted to save the fragile glass. The brunet winced as it smashed to the floor, shattering into hundreds of fragments, irreversibly broken without an ounce of magic to piece it back together.

Hiccup supposed he was to feel sullen at the prospect—even a little bit. But that was wholly overshadowed as the Duke blubbered out in distress and horror. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, oh no… Oh this is terrible! The King! What will he say? What will he do?" The man gulped and paled. Oh the Duke knew what he was going to do…immediately after this, he should stop by to his chateau and bid his wife and children a tearful goodbye.

Thankfully (on both their parts), Jack chose that exact second to poke his head through the main doors, an irritated grimace on his royal mug. "Hey, what's the hold up? I—_Hiccup_!" Funny how his eyes seemed to brighten at the sight of the brunet.

Not that…it was anything special or something. "Jack?"

The Prince pushed past the doors, practically flying to the Viking. "It's you! Augh God! _Finally_…I was getting bored out of my mind waiting in that carriage."

Hiccup deadpanned. "Well isn't that nice for you. I was locked in the attic." But Hiccup guessed that if he was stuck waiting by the carriage all morning for the Duke to finally announce he had found the right house, he'd be delighted to see his salvation from boredom too.

"Oh right…that part always made me so mad! Sheesh, what some people would do out of—" Hiccup cleared his throat and stopped Jack mid-rant and wordlessly indicated for him to turn around.

The Lady, quite displeased at the turnout, coldly demanded, "What is going on here?" Prince or not, if he wasn't marrying any of _her_ daughters, then he had no place here. She was still the Master of this house and this was her domain to command.

"Pardon me, _Ma'am"_ and he did quite a lovely job of stretching out that title with a defensive tone. "But this here is the _lovely lady_ I danced with the night before. There's no mistaking it." There went an arm around Hiccup's waist and it was then that the brunet really started to feel awkward. "And I intend to marry her." Definitely awkward, but there was this incessant, fluttery feeling at the pit of Hiccup's stomach at the announcement.

Was he supposed to feel irritated? Hiccup was pretty sure he was feeling irritated. "Such a charmer," he remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"Shush, I'm defending your honor," Jack muttered back.

"But that's impossible!" Anastasia gasped.

"She can't be!" Drizella added.

"With all due respect, Your Highness…" Lady Tremaine stepped forward, mouth curled in wickedness. "Where is your _proof_?"

And Hiccup was right—she was definitely scary…but they'd been through worse. "Are you kidding me? It's written all over my feet!" Even Hiccup had to wince at the sight of the…rather angry looking marks littering pale skin as Jack lifted up his pant leg. The Duke seemed quite appalled as well. "We uh…got a little crazy…with the erm…'dancing' last night," the Prince explained lamely.

Hiccup awkwardly leaned in close to the other boy. "Is that the best you got?" the brunet whispered still trying to smile through his agitation. "Your _bruises?_"

"Yes? Good thinking, by the way, making so _many_ of them," the older boy quietly drawled. "And would it kill ya to play along here?" Jack grumbled beneath his breath.

Though the brunet very much wanted to give a rather scathing retort to that, he was sure that right now, it'd be best to play along. So he clung to Jack's arm as he gingerly lifted his prosthetic and placed it right beside the bruises while the Grand Duke inspected the formations against the general contours of the prosthetic. There was a moment of utter silence as the man turned the metalwork this way and that, inspecting the blots on pale skin and the shape of the prosthetic, the noble moving around the pair and eyeing the presented limbs like a vulture.

Eye enlarged with the monocle for one more little bruise to scrutinize, the Duke thankfully remarked, "Well, there's no doubt about it! These marks were definitely made by your…" The Duke eyed the three ladies with distaste and distrust. "'_Scullery maid'_."

"Actually, they're my stepfamily," Hiccup enlightened. He looked to them, eyes reflecting back with emptiness, with neither hatred, nor forgiveness. Just apathy. "Yeah, strange isn't it? That one's own _family_ could turn against one another out of resentment and greed?" And despite his words, his voice betrayed nothing at all.

"I see…" the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes at the triad of women. "Well…that's an issue to settle—"

"No. There's nothing to settle." Even if he wanted them to realize their own faults and flaws, to witness retribution at their deeds and after years of torment…Hiccup wasn't that type of person…and neither was Cinderella."Just to move forward from." '_It's time she found her happiness…and that means leaving all this behind._' So he turned to Jack and attempted a bashful smirk. "So…marriage you said?"

Hiccup tried to ignore the fact that he wasn't even bothered by the arm slipping around his waist, nor Jack's self-satisfied grin as he said, "That's how the story goes, darling."

Because wasn't that how all love stories ended?

.

The ceremony was really quite…something.

The church was quite a marvel with their luminous stained-glass windows, the elegant floral array dotting the pews, the awed and happy entourage that all around him (because he was pretty sure this was Jaq and Gus's first time seeing a grand place like this and Hiccup was certainly not getting married without his best friend beside him) and the sheer beauty the ambience exuded was enough to take any bride's breath away.

Too bad Hiccup was no '_any_ _bride_.' "'Madly in love'?" he muttered, careful not to let the priest catch his words; it was rather fortunate the elder gentleman appeared hard of seeing and currently had his nose buried in a rather large and heavily ornate book.

"Should anyone object to this union…" the arid voice rasped.

"What word other than 'mad' can you use to describe love-at-first-sight?" Jack mumbled out in reply. "I mean, we're getting _married_, aren't we?"

It hit him then, and Hiccup groaned. "I can't believe we're getting _married_." And it truly was startling; the fact that he was standing there in a large and ornate cathedral, white dress adorned, veil adding an extra pound to his head, and a quivering bundle of flowers in his hands as his fingers trembled and twitched. By Hiccup's side, Toothless bleated softly, pausing from his lazy play with the train of his partner's dress to assure the boy that despite the strange proceedings, things would probably turn out all right. Or maybe the Night Fury meant to say that he was getting a bit tireless after hearing the elder gentleman speak for a solid twenty minutes. Hiccup still needed to work on his Dragonese.

Despite it all, Jack seemed to note the brighter side of things. "I can't believe they threw together this entire wedding in four hours." Or, rather, the offhanded things that were sure to get his little bride riled up. But he meant well—or at least Hiccup would hope so as the frosty-haired teen grinned a little and murmured. "Lighten up, will ya? This doesn't even feel like '_our'_ wedding."

And it was true; it happened so suddenly that the gravity of such a commitment didn't even sink in entirely; to Hiccup and Jack, this wasn't _their_ 'happy ending.' It was Cinderella's and the Prince's. A woman who dreamed with all her heart to find happiness and a man who believed in true love and would do anything to find it…so who were they to ruin this auspicious occasion? Nevertheless, Hiccup scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I'd have a heart attack if it really were." But even Jack knew there was no real heat in his words; all smoke and no flame. But still, despite it not being _their _wedding, he was entitled to feeling just a bit nervous, wasn't he? "You sure this'll work?"

"Let them speak now or forever hold their peace." the high priest finished with a resounding finality.

Eyes of blue softened. "You remember the green fairy: '_After all a kiss is a paltry fine.'" _But then his smile turned playful and Hiccup knew he'd have to get a retort ready. "Why? Getting butterflies?"

Cue the eye-roll. "If swallowing butterflies makes your nauseas, _sure_." And though that wasn't his best, not only was it milder for the matrimony, but it was also true. "Plus, this corset is squeezing my innards." His respect for women reached new heights during this little adventure; not only were their wardrobes seemingly designed for torture and discomfort but it must have taken a great amount of strength and restraint not to end up keeling over.

"Not too long now, don't worry," the groom reassured. But now that Jack was looking at him, sure enough, the corset did manage to accent the boy's figure and the dress. Though it wasn't like he'd outright say the cloth death-trap was doing wonders in accenting the boy's…'curves.' "You look great by the way." What? He didn't _outright_ say it.

And again, the eye-rolling commenced. "I can't take that as a compliment."

"It was a statement, not a compliment," Jack placidly reminded. Plus…he wasn't lying. White looked good on the kid.

It just occurred to the pair that the monotone droning had stopped. Nervously, two pairs of eyes drifted to the front of the altar where the priest lightly cleared his throat. And in an angle that no one could see, he hid a smile behind his hand as he looked to the Prince. "You may now kiss the bride."

It also just occurred to Hiccup that he'd be kissing Jack again…this time in front of a whole kingdom. He audibly gulped and felt as though the sound itself echoed infinitely through the dead silence. Against himself, he murmured, "This better work, Jack…" careful not to jump as the Prince drew in closer.

That dizzying sort of sensation was back, washing over him, bittersweet in his tongue like the end of a tale, turning the page to find the ornate words _The End_ staring back to gaze upon longingly, but knowing there was nothing left but to close the cover despite the swelling emptiness. He felt it on his tongue, felt it pulse gently in his heart, felt it as Jack murmured against his lips, "But if it doesn't?" And there, written in those eyes of blue, was a familiar worry that he had seen in himself many times before.

Hiccup really didn't have a proper response to that; it was their plan, after all, to do this right and to get back to where they needed to be. This wasn't where they were _meant _to be because in the end, fairytales would bid their farewells once the lessons were learned and life continued on—moving forward without lament. Hiccup was needed and he had to guess Jack was too. But if they were thrown back into some other fable in fate's cruel intent, at least Hiccup had this to say: "Then…we'll figure something out together."

And for Jack, that seemed to be enough as he closed the distance between them without another word, lips meeting in something chaste and something sweet, the colors and sound all around them falling like snow.

* * *

*= I will never not use that line in a multi-chaptered fic with Hiccup.

The last scene of Cinderella was actually the two newlyweds riding off in their carriage and kissing as they drove off; I figured since they got married before that, their unmentioned first kiss at the altar should be the last scene for this little arc.

Answers to some questions some may have:

***= Why didn't Jack know recognize the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty? **I already mentioned some reasons as to why in the story, but the main reason is that by comparison, Sleeping Beauty is less known than Cinderella; that, and Aurora was not the original princess's name of the tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. There are some major differences with the original versions of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, but I felt that Disney kept with the more traditional elements of the latter.

**How does Jack know the basics of the Waltz?** Well, being alive for as long as he had, I'm sure he would have picked up on something. Not only that, but as compared to the minuet and other formal group dances, it's relatively simple to learn by comparison. It was a folk dance before it became a ballroom dance so the steps weren't overly complicated and generally, anyone can learn it. Though, this was initially frowned upon due to the closed position partners stayed in and the intimate placement of the hands that caused the waltz to be deemed as immoral.

*****= Jack never experienced the little mishap with time; only the both of them can experience it if both Hiccup and Jack are within the same "frame." So, while Hiccup caused the little temporal mishap earlier, Jack was affected just as everyone else was in the story: frozen. Same concept applies with Toothless.

Walt Disney once said this in defense to Cinderella as being viewed as naïve and weak: "She believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn't come along, she went over to the palace and got him." Plus, if you actually listened to the story, she never dreamed of being married off to find her Prince either; all she wanted was freedom from her stepfamily.

**The glass slipper in **_**Cinderella**_** demonstrates Cinderella's adaptability to tough situations.** The fact that she can walk and dance gracefully with glass slippers shows that despite difficult circumstances, she maintains herself. So, I guess Hiccup could probably do the same if the glass slipper was a metaphor as well.

And yes…_that_ question: **If Cinderella's slipper fit her perfectly, why did it fall off?** Well heels weren't meant for running. Stairs make it even harder. Plus a glassy surface and feet that have been dancing for a while? My guess is that some perspiration, added with the extra bumpy and fast movements, added to why the slipper fell off.

Other question: **why did that slipper fit no one else?** In other versions that I've read, the slipper actually _changes size_ so no other woman would fit the slipper except for its rightful owner. (It is magic, after all. Although the rest of the magic disappeared after the midnight, Cinderella still managed to keep her shoes... Deus ex machina? Probably.)

**Fun facts:** Cinderella's shoe size is 4 and a half (compare _that_ to an average boy of fifteen at around a size 9~10). In the French version of Cinderella, it was revealed that the Prince's name is Prince Henry.

(Shall we continue on?)


End file.
